A Shadow Of What Was
by TheDapLab
Summary: Oh that fateful day, after his encounter with All Might, what if it had been a different blond who had intercepted Izuku, introduced him to a hidden world and slowly took him down a twisted, darker path? Eventual Villain Deku and a number of OC's as a supporting cast. Strap in folks, it's going to be a long one...
1. Chapter 1

****I don't own My Hero Academia or any of the characters.****

****A passion project of mine, will be posting at least monthly, what happens if Izuku walks a different path with a different support group.****

****We hope you enjoy what we have been cooking up...****

*EDIT* 12.5.2020 - some minor tweaks to help the flow, as well as adding notes to the bottom regarding OC's after their first chapter appearance. Will do going through the other chapters and doing similar updates over time.

Chapter 1

"Without power, can one become a hero? No, I should think not." He had been hearing variations of this his entire life, but to hear it from the one man he looked up to the most; the man who he found out wasn't who everyone thought he was. From All Might, the number one hero, who was the greatest inspiration in the boy's life. It did one thing that the rest of his life had failed to do completely.

It broke his heart and his dreams, coming from the only person in the world he could ever listen to on the matter was simply too much for him to deny. Seeing an explosion, All Might transformed and leapt into action, hurtling away to save the day as he always did, leaving Izuku behind, slumped to his knees.

Maybe Kacchan was right, he thought to himself as he dragged himself to his feet, battered and bloody from the encounter with the villain and his trip with All Might. Exiting the building, he scribbled a note in one of the least burnt pages. Tearing it out, he tossed the burnt notebook into the trash, sighing as it bounced off the rim and went flying down an alleyway. He didn't bother to go back for it, he was beyond caring as he staggered off in a daze, heading away from the fight behind him.

He didn't see the figure who had been lurking there, who had been hit with the notebook and came close to gutting him there and then, until she looked down at what had hit her; blonde pigtails bobbing in surprise. Frowning in confusion when she realised it wasn't an attack, she flipped it open, flicked through the first couple of pages, then the next few, and the next few. Having quickly glanced over it, she couldn't believe it. Someone was writing about quirks, all the possible uses and counters you could want, and this wasn't even the first volume! Something like this could be worth a fortune to the right buyer.

She had to have a talk to this kid and from the looks of things he can't have gotten far, staggering around and covered in blood and bruises like that. Setting off after him, her interest peaked at what she had just chanced across, forgetting her current victim who was just abandoned in the alleyway as she took off. Who just throws away something like this…

The city spread out below him, in the distance he could see the aftermath of whatever villain All Might had shot off to face, smoke billowing in the air as sirens converged on the source. Stood on the edge of the roof, the first skyscraper he could get easy access to the roof of, his tears blowing away in the wind while he grinned. He had climbed over the railing running around the edge, but was holding on while he thought; the constant pull of the wind threatening to send him plunging off even if he couldn't go through with it. He had seen the true face of heroism, bullies and fakes who held others to standards they could never reach themselves. Swaying in the breeze, his mop of green hair already a mess; he wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry more. His dreams had been torn to pieces, with time to think it wasn't just All Might's words, but seeing how heroes acted. Accepting that the kid he had looked up to all his life was nothing like a hero should be and that he had accepted the abuse for too long, without need. His hastily scribbled suicide note was even pinned to his bag behind him, ready for anyone to find.

"So, you jumping or just admiring the view?" came a voice from behind him, causing him to blink and look over his shoulder. He saw a blonde haired girl, probably around his age, maybe a little older, wearing a schoolgirl uniform; she was looking at him in interest but there was something he couldn't quite place in the way she regarded him. This threw him off, he stood on the edge, a drop he could not survive below him, yet she didn't seem bothered. She seemed more interested in if he would, licking her lips as she looked him over and smiled.

"Honestly, still trying to make my mind up" he sighed, facing away from her again.

"So what brings a bloodied kid here and not the hospital, or his parents?" she sat down a couple of meters to his left, dangling her legs over the edge while resting her arms on the safety bars; still smiling slightly.

"Why are you here?" he shot back, "You don't look like someone who takes interest in random people standing on rooftops."

"Well, I got hit by this thing when I was having lunch, then I just had to talk to whoever wrote it" she gave him a toothy grin, reaching into her bag and pulling out the burnt copy of the latest volume of his Hero Analysis for the Future notebook; gripping it in her hand as the wind threatened to send it flying into the sky.

"Oh, that thing" he was practically emotionless now, his face going blank, "that's just something that made me the target of people claiming to be heroes. It has brought nothing but pain."  
"Oh, you've seen their hypocrisy too?" Blinking, not sure he had heard correctly, he turned to face her again. "My quirk is blood based, so because of that I get labelled a villain, all because of something I can't help. They do as they please, use their powers to do whatever they want, but if I do the same, they look to lock me up. More and more of them care only for wealth and fame, while stepping on anyone who thinks there's something wrong."

"So if you're not a hero, and not a villain, what are you?"

"Someone who does what they have to, to survive in this world, someone they consider a villain, while being shunned by society. Someone tired of being treated badly for how I was born, while fighting back against the fake heroes, someone like Stain…"

"Stain?"

"He's a hero hunter, shutting down the ones who use it to profit or for abuse."

"I've never heard of someone like that.."  
"Do you think the heroes will admit that someone like him exists? Their power exists in part because people think no villain can beat the strongest heroes. Look at All Might, while many villains would love to take him down, no one has come close and that made people safe. Also given other heroes the chance to leech off his success and claim they are part of that safety. Demanding everyone follows rules they don't bother with."

"So what does that have to do with me?" Izuku queried, his interest peaked, having never encountered someone who spoke of heroes and villains like there was a third option. Or even someone that thought there was something wrong with society itself. He didn't have any friends, so this was all new to him.

"Your book was amazing!" she gushed, "I have never seen someone analyze quirks like that before, but you gave me new ideas just from this one book!"

Izuku gaped at her, before his nerves took over and he scratched the back of his head, getting a giggle from her.

"I wrote those to prepare for being a hero, but now that's not possible, All Might himself dashed any hope of that. They're worthless" he declared, glaring at the book.

"Worthless? I know people who would love to get this sort of data analyzed!" When Izuku looked at her in confusion, she continued. "You wanted to use them to take down villains and help heroes right? Well people like me could use this stuff to defend ourselves from both and even control more dangerous quirks they struggle with." When he looked thoughtful, she pushed the point more. "They dismissed you, put you down, but I know plenty of people who would love to get these kinds of analysis! If we had this stuff, we could defend ourselves when attacked, maybe even show those fake heroes they're not all they claim to be. You might even be able to make enough money to do what you want, if that helps?"

Izuku stood there, deep in thought. The idea that his notes might be of interest to others was new to him, having been mocked for them all his life. In fact, apart from his mum, this girl was the only person who had been nice to him in as long as he could remember. She had only nice things to say, the only person to show interest in his notes, what harm could it do to listen…

"Alright, so assuming I'm interested in what you have to say, what's the next step?"  
"Well, how long would it take you to get all your notes typed up and organised?"

"Erm, a couple of weeks maybe, I have a lot of books, but no computer of my own…"  
"First stop is the computer store then!" she declared, jumping to her feet and giggling at his look of confusion at the sudden shift. "Or maybe get you cleaned up first, so you don't draw more attention to yourself, as good as you look like that..."

They found him a public restroom a couple of blocks away to clean himself up in, with her standing guard while he locked himself inside. It wasn't until he looked at himself in the mirror that he realised how battered he actually was. His uniform was cut in several places, he managed to get the worst patches of blood out, then cleaned himself up and dressed the wounds with what they had been able to scrounge up from nearby shops without causing too much of a fuss.

Pulling on a plain hoodie the girl had acquired for him, while stuffing the remains of his shirt and jacket in his bag, he stepped out again, feeling better for it and for the smile he got. He was avoiding her comments about how he looked good covered in blood, but he had a feeling it was something he might have to address down the line.

"Right, I know a good place to talk" she said, taking his hand and leading the way, thankfully either not seeing or ignoring the deep red Izuku had turned from just this simple contact.

She took them to a little restaurant down some back streets. Telling him to order whatever he fancied, they soon had a Katsudon in front of Izuku and a bowl of noodles in front of the girl and they both dug in hungrily. Once they had eaten and the bowls had been taken away, she ordered drinks and made sure they were alone in their part of the establishment before introducing herself.

"I'm Himiko Toga by the way, should have said sooner, but more important things were going on" shaking his hand and grinning, her fangs fully on display which made him pause for a second before replying.

"Erm, I'm Izuku Midoriya, nice to meet you, though I guessed that would be earlier… I'm rambling again, sorry, bad habit, it's been a long day, sorry…" he wasn't expecting her to giggle as a reaction, pausing while she regarded him across the table.

"No wonder you're able to come up with so many details about quirks, you can barely keep your brain from overflowing huh?"

"Well, never had it put like that before…" scratching his head and looking away, unsure how to deal with someone not finding him weird, let alone a girl he was beginning to notice was rather on the cute side…

"Well you just haven't been around the right people" she reassured him, unable to believe how easy his buttons were to press. If she didn't know better, it felt like this was the longest he had spoken to a girl before in his life. Maybe the longest conversation without abuse given how he kept apologising and flinching. Something she could sympathise with after all this time.

"So, you said people would be interested in seeing my notes?"

"Oh boy, yes! I have a contact who, for a fee, could circulate them widely, to the highest number of customers. I tend to take jobs that suit my quirk, so for a small cut I will help get you in touch with them, if that's alright with you?"  
"How much were you thinking?"

"Well, let's get you a laptop, then when you get the notes to me, we can talk about that afterwards, deal?" He hesitated as she held out her hand for him to shake, before taking it. He didn't really have any other prospects now, this job as a sort of blogger, if it could support him, then he would happily take it, at least until he worked out what he wanted to do with his life. At the very least, it was a way to help people that he was being encouraged to pursue.

"Deal." he said, shaking her hand again.

"I just have one question, why did the heroes tell you to give up on your dream?"

"Well, you see, I'm quirkless…" She blinked at that before shrugging.

"Shows what they know, discarding us both for accidents of birth rather than seeing what we can do." Driving the point home again and angling to make him identify more with herself and less with heroes. "That notebook alone shows you can do things they wouldn't even dream of!" she stated as they got up to leave, seeing his thoughtful expression and already knew he was listening to her arguments, which was a good start.

They got a cheap laptop when they had finished their meal, nothing fancy, but something for Izuku to type up all his notes on. To start with, she gave him a list of a dozen or so heroes and villains to do, all but one he had notes on, but promised to get them done over the weekend. Swapping numbers, she bid him goodbye for now and left him dazed at the sudden shift his life had taken as he watched her bounce off down the street. For someone declared a villain, because of how she was born, she was nicer than the heroes he had been meeting lately, especially the ones in training.

In the end, he got so excited about the prospect of using his notes like this, he stayed up all night to get them finished, sleeping through the morning and contacting Toga after lunch. She was so surprised he had finished already, she couldn't meet that day, arranging instead to meet for lunch the next day and advising him to get started on the other notes if he could.

Hanging up, she turned to regard her latest victim, who was tied to a chair and already passed out from blood loss. This kid could be very useful indeed, she thought, setting about tidying up, her enthusiasm having left a lot to clean.

She treated him to lunch again, before going over his notes, staggered by the detail of the first one. It not only went into great depth about what the heroes power was and its current uses, but also went into new ways to use their quirk, ways to counter them and even quirks that would compliment it. Not even bothering to check the others, she knew she had hit the jackpot, even these dozen would be more than enough to cover her investment and this was just the start!

"You really are something else," she told him, genuine surprise and affection in her voice, giggling as he blushed. She might be using him for her own ends, but his work ethic and enthusiasm was something else.

"It's been a long standing hobby of mine, having someone else actually take an interest, it's being great motivation!" he admitted, looking away as his cheeks grew pink and she giggled.

"Well glad to help, I will be in touch when I've met my contact and see what they're worth, but I think this is going to be the start of a great partnership." Parting ways again after eating, Izuku headed for home, while Toga pulled her phone out and made a call.

"So I have the results of the job you sent me yesterday, as well as something new I think you will be very interested to see."

Toga was an expert at infiltration. Her skills were well known in certain circles, to say she didn't try sneaking up on this particular person, but walked out in the open said a lot. They didn't bother patting her down, both sides knew the shapeshifter wasn't comfortable without at least a couple of knives on her, but she was trusted so it was allowed to slide.

Quickly being ushered in, she deposited a bag on the table. It was inspected and put to one side, the funds for the job being handed over. It was then she gave them the memory stick from Izuku, grinning as she told them to look at the contents.

It was quietly presented to a figure sat at the far side of the room, almost obscured behind a mass of cabling and computer equipment which looked to be largely made from scratch. Opening a port on the side of its head, the figure plugged the stick in, taking a few seconds to open and process the data.

"Where did you find this?" was the blunt statement, sounding more electronic than human.

"Let's just say I came across someone who takes a great interest in this. Think you could find buyers?" Light glinted off cybernetic eyes, off human teeth as it smiled.

"I can find a buyer for anything. For information like this, I might want to get you and your 'friend' on retainer. Information like this will be in great demand, especially if you are willing to take requests."

"I will have a word with him, I'm sure that won't be a problem. Now let's talk money…"

While Toga might not look like it, she was a shrewd negotiator. Most people underestimated her, or were put off by the way she smiled, showing off her fangs for full effect. The creature known as The Broker however, was a different story. Thanks to her quirk, which allowed direct interface with machinery, she was more machine than human now, in more than one way; intimidation like that just didn't phase her.

They eventually came to an agreement, The Broker would take twenty five percent of the money as her fee, then would leave Toga to split the rest how she saw fit. She quickly left The Broker's lair, taking her payment, a shopping list of quirks for Izuku to look at and plans of her own to make.

She sent the list to her new partner, there hadn't been a set time limit, which she made clear, to avoid him working himself to death. She needed her new cash cow to stay nice and healthy for as long as possible. Would probably be worth keeping an eye on him just in case, though…

Aside from his new side business, things continued as normal for Izuku. He attended school, though Kacchan was absent, something about All Might saving him from a villain. By the end of the week, he had finished the list Toga had given him, as well as working on writing and expanding on his notebooks.

He told his mother that he had decided to go into blogging for now, to see what he wanted to do, which while she was hesitant, she was relieved he finally had turned away from his impossible dream. He had set up a blog site, started posting snippets of his notes, which had already gained a following. It was all just a cover, but he couldn't believe his eyes when he checked his bank balance at the following weekend, before meeting Toga again. That week alone, just short of 150,000 Yen had been deposited.

When he asked Toga, she told him that that was fifty percent of the takings, the other fifty had been split equally between herself and her contact. He had also got more requests, after he handed over the newest batch. It seemed the details in his notes was proving wildly popular with certain groups and demand for more information was made very clear.

Her contact, who she called The Broker, was also very interested in meeting with him to discuss business opportunities. She confessed to being unsure what to expect, but told him she could arrange a meeting if he was happy with it. He confessed to being nervous, so she offered to give him some self defence/training lessons. It wouldn't be much good if things went wrong, she knew the kind of people they were dealing with, but it might help him get over his nerves long enough to strike a bargain.

As they parted ways, he agreed to a meeting two weeks from then, as long as she was with him and would give him some tips beforehand. He didn't know what he was in for, but the way his new partner talked about it with confidence, he felt he would be alright with her assistance.

Izuku spent most of the following week either writing and updating his notes, or with Toga. Reluctantly, she took him to an abandoned warehouse that she used, before running him through some combat drills. Thanks to his interest in hero training, he had some hand to hand ability and while far from being unfit, he still wasn't in as good shape as he could be.

After testing him, she showed off what she could do. Bouncing around the space like a trained acrobat, moving fast enough that Izuku could have sworn she had a speed element to her quirk. He would need to see her in action properly, but he was already coming up with ways she could improve or adapt. In response, she set him to work, using the ruined building as a makeshift gym, running fitness, close combat and parkour drills.

As was expected, it was going to take time, but his confidence was already growing by the end of the first week, as he handed over a dossier of thirty more quirk files to her. His bank account had already gone up by half a million Yen in just two weeks, it seemed that The Broker was also laundering the money for him, to avoid raising suspicion, but at a slight cost he agreed to via Toga.

By the time it came for his meeting, he was more confident in his mental and physical abilities, thanks to his new found partner.

When it came to the big day, he met Toga beforehand, she handed him a mask to hide his identity, which he donned within a couple of streets of the meeting point; she followed suit with her villain mask.

It was to take place on a dockside storage site, a representative of The Broker and a bodyguard, to keep things equal. Toga explained that due to the nature of The Brokers quirk, moving around was difficult, but if he gained their trust, he might meet her face to face one day. The way she spoke implied this was a big deal, which didn't help his nerves.

To sweeten the deal, he brought enough files with him to bring the total to over one hundred files, The Broker was practically rubbing her hands through the video feed her assistants setup for the meeting; a massive grin plastered across her face from the second she had appeared on screen.

"Selling like hot cakes these files are, set fee for each person to access each one, it's turned into a nice little sideline." Izuku got an impression of glowing eyes and teeth, though that was probably more for show than anything, or strange lighting, he had no way of knowing. "I would like to offer you a position doing this and more, it will be disguised as an office job, so to those outside you're just going to be a paper pusher, leaving you free to work on these notes. I'm sure you've seen how lucrative it can be for us both…"

"Well, I will need to finish school first, would you be willing to wait until then?" He had discussed it with Toga and they had agreed it would make life easier if he was upfront.

"Hmm, will give us more time to get things in place, that shouldn't be a problem, especially if you continue to make notes like you have! It will also allow for a better cover story, that blog you started, that can be how you get noticed and recruited by my new company." Izuku gaped at the screen, not realising his blog had been spotted yet. "Oh don't look at me like that, knowledge is power and I excel at that particular power" Broker told him, the grin growing wider.

"Alright, but I have one condition, besides keeping my identity secret, Toga is part of it as well." She stared at him in complete shock when she realised what he had just asked for.

"Well now that is a surprise," Broker leaned forwards, some of her features becoming illuminated as she watched him in interest. "Now based on her expression, not that she knew what I wanted, but you haven't even talked this over with her. Are you sure it's wise?"

"We are partners and I trust her, if you want me involved, then she is the only one I trust to help me. Her skills will be especially useful in plans I would like to try, with the right backing." Toga looked at him in complete shock. This kid trusts way too easily, he's just secured me a pay deal and I was using him for this! Though it sounds like he already has more up his sleeve...

Broker laughed, falling back in her seat, everyone present staring at the screen in amazement; even her closest allies had never seen her react like this before.

"So Izuku, you have a deal, as long as Toga agrees, the details can be worked out later, but for now you're one of my little helpers." she looked ecstatic, like Toga had upon first seeing the notes, she couldn't wait to see what this interesting little mind produced.

"Thank you for everything!" was Izuku's response, bowing low in respect. To everyone around him, it seemed like he was out of place, a good person in a den of villains, but they didn't see what was ticking away in his mind. He had met so called villains and been treated well by them, accepted despite his quirkless nature even. He had seen the dark side of heroes and been rejected by them, he would drag them down to his level and show the world just how flawed the whole system was. Then, he would build a new one.

**New OC's**

**The Broker - Real name unknown - Quirk: Connection Point, her hair can change into any hardware connection point she likes, due to cybernetic upgrades she performed on herself she can function as a mini super computer, but it forced to stay in one place or lose her network connection.**


	2. Chapter 2

****I don't own My Hero Academia or any of the characters.****

**A passion project of mine, will be posting at least monthly, what happens if Izuku walks a different path with a different support group. A group he now becoming more and more entwined with.**

**We hope you enjoy what we have been cooking up...**

*Edit* 28.5.2020 - Same tweaks as to previous chapter, tweaks to the flow, better scene change marking and introduced OC list at the end.

Chapter 2

Giving it a few more weeks for his blog to get a believable following, so he could be 'discovered', Izuku set to work on other avenues he wanted to explore. After school, he trained with Toga, building up his fitness and combat skills. Despite being a little clumsy still, his drive kept pushing himself to try and keep up; though she did force him to rest when he began overdoing it. While at school he soaked up all the knowledge he could, if he was going to have to work as a quirkless non hero then he needed to learn as much about everything as he could. One thing he had picked up from the Broker, was that knowledge was power, when used in the right way.

He kept churning out the notes and updating them, he was aware that within a month he had passed two million Yen in the stash the Broker was keeping for him. Despite what he had heard of none hero circles before being involved in one, the Broker was known for being honest, everyone knew that when dealing with her the letter of the contract would be followed; which lead to her being one of the biggest negotiators in the underworld. From what he found out, crossing her was a bad idea, but as long as business dealings were kept professional.

Izuku quickly became friends with her, at first his patron was bemused at an innocent teen, a former hero worshipper no less, being dragged into the criminal underworld. The nicer end, but criminal nonetheless. She also came to have an appreciation for his mind, he soaked up information like a sponge and found new ways to use it she would never have thought of. She quickly took to feeding him random tidbits just to see what he could come up with, his thought process proving to be too fascinating to her to not test it out. It all led to her being more than a little protective of the youth who had ended up in her circle.

It normally took longer, but within two weeks Izuku had been allowed into the Brokers inner sanctuary. Getting him to work directly on her system sped things up and gave him more information to play with. He was quickly expanding and soon able to offer suggestions for people to improve their quirk ability and strength and even suggested partnerships; depending on what their goal was.

He started with Toga, at her request, they experimented with what exactly her quirk limits were. Using his blood, plus that of volunteers in exchange for his training, they were able to work out exactly what they were. With a steady supply, they were able to practice more, improving her speed and even getting her to the point that drinking blood gave her a brief regeneration boost.

Training with him and others that were screened and sent to them, her speed and combat abilities rose too, there were still limits to what she could do, but she had truly become a fearsome fighter with a wider range of opponents to fight. His fitness, agility and fighting skills had also increased, while still possessing no quirk and lacking her experience, he was shaping up to be a decent fighter.

He had an idea how to further help, but it would require breaking into a couple of places. All in the name of levelling the playing field of course, not just to repay what he considered a debt to her, but the perfect opening would be brief and not for another six months.

His fifteenth birthday had come and gone, while concerned with the change, his mother was happy enough when his All Might collectables were slowly sold off and he focused more on his non-hero work. When he got the 'job offer' she was overjoyed as he would be able to use his interests not only for work, but would be well paid if it worked. The company studied peoples quirks and made job recommendations based on them, something the Broker had set up as a sideline but also as cover. Toga even gave him a hug as his birthday present, though she had to snap him out of shock afterwards. Despite seeing her most days and adjusting to her hyper personality, he still wasn't used to physical contact yet, though was adapting better to positive reinforcement after a few false starts.

In agreement with Toga, and to further their goal of converting him to their side for good, the Broker made sure that the people Izuku came into contact with were as sympathetic as possible, to make it easier for him to connect with them. The handful of people sent to him for training suggestions were the same, a diverse number of quirks often overlooked individuals. It helped that he seemed to genuinely care for Toga, considering her as his savior, which while she found it adorable, wasn't always sure what to do with this new found devotion. That didn't stop her from teasing him about it, giggling when he blushed and flailed his arms around.

One of the first he worked with, possibly his greatest success, was a young man with short, spiky black hair, known as Rai Kita, aka Battery. A man who would be the first of his new recruits.

To keep his age and identity a secret, they made him a suit, a black and green combat uniform with a full helmet and voice scrambler. It took him a little time to get used to moving in it, not used to wearing an outfit like this, being more used to his baggy clothing or the gym outfit he wore with Toga. The first three students he was sent they met at the training place Toga had set up, as it was one of many she used. She was there just to keep an eye on things, while he put them through their paces. Besides Battery, there was one with a leg speed quirk and one with a stretching quirk. They built a series of fitness machines to build physical strength and stamina, while linking them to a generator for Battery to practice his quirk on. He didn't understand why his training involved standing there, but the reason became clear when demonstrated properly.

As his name implies, his quirk let him absorb and store electricity. At first he could hold enough to power a lightbulb, but after a month, he was able to absorb a much higher charge and hold it for longer. Izuku quickly learned that the main problem was the ban on public quirk use. Without any way to legally use their quirk, private spaces being hard to find or expensive, though with weaker quirks were at risk of being arrested if they tried training. While martial arts training was available publically, this was heavily regulated and monitored, so Izuku threw in some basics that might give them the upperhand in a pinch; at the very least give them enough breathing room to escape if needed.

The speed and stretch quirk users were quick to sort out, they just needed to keep using their quirk to strengthen it, but Battery was another matter, Izuku was excited at the possibilities. He quickly earned Kita's loyalty, plus the respect of the others he worked on as his approach was almost unheard of in the underworld and it made them feel like people; some for the first time in their life based on their quirk. He was dismayed when it was revealed he was following a fifteen year old, but like others it was Izuku's intelligence and drive to help that lead to him working under the teen, contracted out on jobs through the Broker and earning good money for it; further cementing his loyalty. The kid had opened up a whole new world of possibilities to him and helped him achieve a level of power he never knew was possible. Despite being six years older, Battery had no problems willingly following his new 'boss'.

Toga was confused how Izuku had managed to earn the loyalty or appreciation of low level villains so easily, but the more time she spent around him, the more she got it. While he had been lured to the otherside, for now at least, he still burned with the same passion and drive that could have made him a great hero, which people responded to when it was directed at them. His open, honest smile helped, though she was one of the few people who got to see it thanks to his mask, but his very body seemed to radiate it when he was in his element. Much like himself, a lot of the people that were sent to him were used to nothing but dismissal or abuse, in a way they were building each other up to reach new heights without even realising it at the time.

By the time he had finished school a few months later, he had incorporated himself into the Brokers inner circle, trained around twenty in quirk usage and compiled notes on hundreds of quirks. While the last few months had not been enough to rid him of his nervous disposition, he was certainly more comfortable in the shadowy court of his benefactor than elsewhere. It had taken some time for the others in her employ to get used to his presence, though most of them only saw him with his costume on, the impact he had had was well known to them and even the most volatile members knew to stay clear. As a rule, the Broker preferred her employees to be stable and consistent, so there were few regulars that were any real threat to the teen even without knowing he was off limits.

Toga had been by his side the whole time, watching and guiding him, sinking him into her world slowly until he was more villain than hero and he hadn't even noticed the difference. He didn't question the increased time she spent around him, coming to appreciate the company as it eased his loneliness and helped give him confidence in this new world he was navigating, as well as finding his first real friend.

Having started his new 'job' out of school, he was unaware of how he had been manipulated, his new 'coworkers were chosen specifically to keep enforcing the idea that they were the misunderstood anti heroes; though most of the ones working in the office were doing legitimate jobs. Increasingly believing that heroes weren't all they claimed to be and that he had misjudged them, he was sliding into the grey middle ground and becoming increasingly attached to his new friends and colleagues. When he was starting to plan heists, his backers were keen to see what he had come up with, the line having been successfully blurred for him.

He had quickly found out, it wasn't just Toga, but a number of people were shunned for the basis of their quirk, the one thing they had no control over, especially blood based ones. The first plan he put into action during the summer break was one to help them, especially Toga, who couldn't believe how far her new partner was willing to go for her sake. She had picked up plenty of work from the Brokers group, plus she had to admit, the time spent training and working with Izuku had been fun, seeing him reach new heights and his growing confidence in himself triggered emotions in her she hadn't felt in years.

Especially when he came up with a plan to rob a blood bank, both for her and to sell. It was the greatest thing anyone had ever said to her.

Through the people he had helped and the Brokers connections, he was able to get a small team together with the aim of not only robbing a delivery truck, but getting access to the vault itself. Due to the variety of blood that quirks had resulted in, they had specialist systems or equipment to deal with distribution and transfusions; while Toga was happily able to drink anyone's blood, a couple of other blood based quirk users had to be careful when using blood that wasn't theirs. Due to the heavy regulations involved, even those who needed it to live didn't get much and often no more than enough to survive; the exception being heroes of course.

They were initially confused as to why he was so willing to help them, until they realised it was his sense of justice. People vilified for what they were born with fed his belief that heroes were sustaining an unjust system; especially with his new social circle purposely feeding him stories of heroes who were in it for themselves and not to save people which he hated, as well as the tales from those around him of how they had been abused by the system for accidents for birth.

The group was initially surprised, then bemused, then curious when he put the plan to them. Thanks to all the data the Broker collected, on the off chance it might one day be useful, he had been able to track the routes the trucks took. Using Battery, he planned to cause the truck to break down by temporarily having its power drained, one of his increased abilities letting him absorb electricity from a greater distance. Then one of the blood based villains he had recruited would fake a robbery, his quirk giving him increased physical strength after drinking blood, pretending he thought a money truck had broken down before making his escape. The guy wasn't the best actor, but Izuku hoped it was enough to fool and distract any passersby from their real goal.

While the driver was distracted with the 'failed' robbery, Toga would then ambush him and take enough blood to shapeshift long enough to get into the main building. The speed quirk guy who had trained with Battery, would then grab as much blood as he can, while Toga would manage to 'fix' the problem with the van and drive off, any lost stock would be written off as damage from the botched robbery.

Toga was then to infiltrate the central building, installing a dongle to allow the Broker access to a currently closed system, then get out before she ran out of blood, calling in sick afterwards to mud the waters.

If everything went to plan, the driver would wake up with a headache and assume he had fallen ill when he checked at work. A driver calling in sick then not remembering what was going on would earn him at least a week off to recover. Otherwise, there would be limited, if any, damage, no loss of life and a healthy stash of blood packs to use. Izuku funded the whole scheme with the money he was getting from the sale of his notes, the Broker shrugged when Toga asked why, as it wasn't their problem what he did with his money. She didn't know how to respond when the cyborg commented there were cheaper and easier ways to get a girl's attention, deciding to flee the building in embarrassment instead.

When it came to the actual plan, Izuku walked the route and found it passed a wooded area, which caused him to change the plan to ambush the truck there as it provided more cover. The habit of double checking his work was one he hung onto and had helped him so far, this job was too important to him to fail.

When it came to the day itself, everything went smoothly, until the part about breaking open the back of the truck, when Izuku got hit by one of the racks thrown out the back, knocking him down and splattering him with a faceful of blood. In the end this provided a more useful distraction, the truck was waved off with Toga in charge, while the heroes who appeared eventually were more concerned with the would be villain or the kid screaming and covered in blood as he tried to get it off him.

It took an hour or so to clear things up, his story of having his lunch under a tree when it all happened made him a witness. When he was identified as quirkless, any suspicion of his involvement was dismissed; who had heard of a quirkless villain, let alone one so young. The added damage helped speed things up, Toga got in and out in record time, claiming the attack had left her shaken and was told to take the rest of the week off to recover. They even grabbed more packs than expected, the chaos making it all the easier to work unnoticed and the damaged ones that drenched Izuku was all the excuse the bank needed as to why so little made it. You can't account for bad timing with villains after all.

They had established a small office as part of Izuku's cover, at least that's how it started, when the business proved profitable they decided to make it a legit business instead of just a front. It still had hidden areas, was staffed by members of the Brokers circle who used it as a sideline and for laundering, but to the outside world it was another novel business in an increasingly strange world. A growing core of people for whom it was a proper job helped sell it as they expanded. The heroes had taken him to hospital for a checkover, once he was given the all clear he was dropped off by them at the office, greeted by Toga, in her normal form, standing in as the building manager.

The hero escorting him had a quick look around, claiming to be curious about their business, but most likely checking his story really did check out. Satisfied, he left not long after, while Izuku collapsed in a chair, releasing a breath he had been holding in for hours and took deep breaths until he had calmed down again.

They had built a small shower area for cleanup in the back, so he headed straight there afterwards, arranging for some clothes to be delivered while he bathed; just wanting to be clean again. When Toga followed him in, he paused in surprise, seeing her wide eyed and breathing heavily as she locked the door behind them.

She traced the blood stains on his face with a finger, licking her lips and leaning close. He froze, unsure what was happening, or what to do, before she ran her tongue up his cheek, wiping the blood off and moaning softly.

"You have no idea how good you look, covered in blood, taking charge and fooling those heroes. You did so well today…" she had dropped to a whisper, licking his face clean, soft moans as she tasted him, leaving Izuku in a state of confused arousal. "My Zuzu…" she whispered, pressing against him, her tongue tracing the blood on his neck, only stopping when he let out a barely suppressed moan as she nuzzled his shoulder. "Hmm, too soon for this yet, get cleaned up, I'll be out front."

Her lips had ghosted over his ear as she left him with that parting comment, bloody lips pulled back in a grin with fangs on full display, as she looked back at him before closing the door. He was going to need a long or cold shower after that surprise, but wasn't sure which. While she had mentioned her blood lust before, he had not expected it to express itself in that way.

After several minutes of being frozen in place, he opted for the long, hot shower. He had blood caked into his skin and hair and could do with a good scrub. It looked like the showers saw regular use, as there were dozens of different bottles on the racks, Izuku trying several different ones, scrubbing himself down each time, until he felt clean again.

Wiping the steam off the mirror, he checked to make sure he had gotten it all. When he had confirmed he was clean, he took a moment to study himself. While he didn't look any different from yesterday, he almost seemed to carry himself with a little more confidence, he stood a little taller. Years of being told he was worthless would take time to counteract, but this was a good start. He had passed the first real test set for himself and it felt… good.

After drying off, bagging up his bloody clothes and getting dressed in the new ones, he sneaked back into his office. Shutting the door behind him, he sat behind his desk, tossed the bag in a corner, and regarded Toga and Kita sat across from him. He managed to suppress his blush as she smirked at him, he was still adjusting to her increasing physical affection, but until today it had just been hugs, not whatever that had been.

"So, how did it go?" he asked them, pulling out a small whiteboard to jot notes on, to avoid leaving a paper trail while still being able to work things out.

"Like a dream, boss," Kita replied, grinning and leaning in, "we managed to get one hundred and five bags. Blood dude, Vam I think he called himself, wants to know if he can keep one fifth of the haul, or just the fifteen we agreed on? The running guy is happy to sell his share to us for the agreed price, as am I. So how do you want to split it? They waited patiently while Izuku muttered to himself and scribbled on his board, totting everything up and scribbling extra notes before setting it aside.

"Give Vam twenty, he did a good job, but I didn't appreciate being splashed. Even if it did give me the perfect alibi." He sighed and thought for a moment. "I will arrange with the Broker to sell your shares of twenty, Toga gets hers and what's left of mine, after covering costs. We came out a lot better than expected, especially when the second half kicks in."

"Oh wow, I'm used to working with people who take a much bigger share…" Kita was stunned, pulling off a job like this and giving away his share was unheard of in villain circles.

"It's just step one, got a long way to go, this is just helping Toga and setting up a steady supply to keep the more… unstable blood quirk users under control. Today went well, but we got lucky, we will never be able to control all the variables, but we can stack the deck." He paused, from the expressions of the other two, he had begun muttering to himself again, so cut himself off. "Look, I get more money than I need from the quirk analysis, I wouldn't have been able to pull this off without you guys, so just wanted to show my appreciation."

"So what now?" Kita was curious, he had heard about this big plan, but hadn't been around when most of it was formulated, so was still missing a lot of pieces. That the boss was happy to reward even this early on was a good thing to him, but did want to know how far this was going to go.

"Part two will need to wait for a couple of months to get the right time frame. In the meantime, we will need to build on today, if it plays out how I hope, then it will give us more support and funds."

"Wait, when you said I would be entitled to five percent of the profits from your first business, that was this?" The electric quirk wielder distracted from his previous questions when he realised what his boss was setting up.  
"Oh yes, if it works, then we will be catching up to the so called heroes in more ways than one…"

"You know, I did not expect you to come this far so quickly," the Broker admitted, as they finalised the sale of the blood packs. "Now you said you had more to show me? Relating to the remote access dongle I gave you?"

"You now have access to all of the blood donation information, technical specifications and manifests." Izuku told her, handing over the tablet it had connected to, grinning as he saw his patron's face light up with a smile when she realised what he had just handed over.

"I take it you have a plan in mind for this? Going for a bigger load next time?" she queried as she went over the new data, already calculating how much this would be worth.  
"Not quite, I want to know how easy it would be to replicate the setup for us?"

"Replicate, you mean…"

"Yes, it can help with our supply problems as well as provide a new source of revenue, without having to rob a truck every month. If you have contacts who would be able to duplicate this, then we can begin to undermine the trust in heroes further by offering a cheaper alternative, if they shut us down, then it will make them look bad."

"You're serious, huh, kid," she responded after a few minutes of staring, "really think you can change this broken society?"

"Over the last few months I've met people who have been failed by society in various ways, if I can help even a few of them, then it will mean something. Even if it's just to me."

"Hmm, so what's your next step? I don't see where setting up a blood bank will lead you…"  
"That was proof of concept and for Toga's benefit. Oh, also if you know someone with a dehydration quirk, could you get them in touch? The next part will require a lot more help and I need your assistance to pull it off. The money from my notes should more than cover the start up funds." He pulled out a roll of pages from his backpack and spread them out between the pair. "This is what I need to do next."

"Oh Izuku, you certainly don't think small…"

One of the Brokers contacts she thought might fit his requirements was contacted and a meeting arranged for the following day. They both went over Izuku's charts and plans after that, his idea for a black market blood bank could prove lucrative indeed, but if he could pull this one off, well, she would have more information than she would know what to do with.

This kid really was worth his weight in gold, but seeing how far he went, having been wound up and let loose, that could be very informative and entertaining.

Toga found him later that day, having concluded his meeting with their boss, sat back at his office desk working away on case files and quirk notes. He had proven himself capable of more than they realised, more than he probably realised, and he was back to doing paperwork. Some days she just didn't understand what drove him, everyone in his position she had ever known avoided the stuff like the plague..

"Shouldn't you be out celebrating, Zuzu?" she grinned, leaning over his desk, "everyone else has already gone home for the night."

"I know, but there's always more work to be done, having to travel so far each day doesn't help…" Izuku was muttering to himself, closing one case file and reaching for another, before Toga grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"All work and no play makes Zuzu break" she whispered, pushing him back in the chair, settling herself in his lap, her arms around his neck and cuddled up to him.

"Toga…" he gasped in surprise as she purred against him, eventually wrapping his arms around her while blushing deepened. She giggled and kissed his warm cheek, watching as he turned a brighter shade of red. I lick blood off him and he freezes but otherwise doesn't react, now from some simple affection, he's turned into a tomato, how interesting, she thought. Smiling and nuzzling his neck, the memory nearly overwhelmed her, but for now she just wanted to do something nice for her hero, after everything he had done to repay her and more.

"Just rest here for a little while Zuzu…" she whispered to him, calming down for a moment and looking at him seriously. Feeling him finally relax, pulling her closer, she hummed in approval and sat there with him for a while longer; giggling happily to herself.

The next day he suited up and met with the dehydration quirk user, known as Dust, explaining what he was trying to achieve, which got them chatting about the applications of Dust's quirk while Battery watched in amusement. A deal was struck, he would look into creating the item Izuku required, in exchange for quirk training.

He was also very receptive to potential new ventures the teen proposed, a chance to use his quirk to get some cash was always welcome, especially one that was as specific as his set of skills.

The next several days followed as normal. Work in the office until he ran out of case files, train with Toga, in a hidden training ground near his work, and working with others on improving their quirks and combat abilities. They were making good progress, but Izuku was getting impatient, counting down the days. He was also waiting to hear back from the Broker, to find out if his proposed idea was even possible.

Toga and Battery watched over him still, both concerned and growing fond of the green haired teen and the drive to help them that had helped secure their loyalty. The topic of their time in the bathroom and the later cuddling had been left for now, Izuku not sure how to bring it up and Toga finding it adorable when he considered it and started floundering and blushing.

Having spent enough time around him the last few months, they were also able to help with the training, rather than just watching over him. It even led to them finding and recruiting a fourth member of the group, Miku Hinami; the delivery villain Sky Board.

Miku has been recommended to the group by the Broker herself, who made frequent use of Miku's services when needed. She was fast, had some maneuverability, but otherwise had no idea how else to apply her quirk. It manifested as a mass of air around her feet, which she shaped into a board, then using her surfing experience to form it into a board shape she was comfortable with.

She could fly at high speed with it, so Izuku started her with low speed on the ground, riding the semi derelict building they used for training as the wave and getting her to ride the ground. This quickly broke her habits of maneuvering like she was on the water, within a week she was able to use her quirk to hop from surface to surface using the air pressure of her board; rather than just racing through the sky. She also became better at directing it, using it to change her direction and speed quicker, spending her nights racing around the city and surrounding countryside and loving every second of it. The last thing he got Sky to try, was splitting the board and skating instead, which lowered her speed, but raised her maneuverability. Learning to rapidly shift between the two forms to throw any pursuers off.

Running it past the Broker first, Izuku also made further suggestions of ways to apply her quirk. If someone needed a fast extraction, Miku could be in and out before anyone who lacked super speed could stop her. With further training, she might even be able to unleash blasts of air to scatter and disorientate any heroes trying to intercept her.

Battery had come on massively in the months since he had started. He was able to hold a much larger amount and drain from a longer distance away, use his fists like tasers, stick to metal surfaces with an electric field (Izuku was proud that one had actually worked) and even fire off small blasts once he had built up enough charge giving him extra flexibility.

Toga continued to increase her combat abilities at a tremendous rate, fighting against dozens of different opponents gave her experience she had lacked previously, preferring hit and run or ambush attacks, but now able to fight at such a high speed everyone else was barely able to keep up. Izuku was also coming along, but without a quirk, he was mostly trying to keep up with her and advance his ideas; still unsure of what exactly she wanted from him after the robbery.

His plan needed at least a trio of flexible, mobile quirk users to work with down the line, Battery and Sky Board made up two, now he needed someone with a more physical quirk. At least to start with.

He sat staring out across the training ground, chewing on a sandwich, knowing he needed to eat but was too excited after the last conversation between himself and his patron. Thanks to Toga and her contacts, in eight months he had transformed not only himself, but a small part of the world. If All Might wants to look down on him for being quirkless, abandon not only himself, but dozens, if not hundreds, of others to be ground under the system, then he would prove to them just how bad a miscalculation that was.

"So how exactly do you plan to change or overthrow the system? Heroes are outnumbered yet they keep coming out on top.

"By levelling the playing field," Izuku told the Broker, "our main advantage right now is we operate in the shadows, but that's it. They have the law, the money, freedom to use their quirks as they please, the support structure, teamwork and training; the entire system is built to support them. So we build our own system, weaken theirs and we do what they do best, build teams of well trained individuals armed with the knowledge they need to fight back. We know where to hit them, as long as we keep engaging in hit and run attacks, wear them down, they can be beaten. If we can just assemble a large enough group..."

"You make it sound so simple, but they have All Might, they are training constantly their whole lives, what makes you think a few months of training will make us a match?"

"Oh, I know how to deal with All Might, don't you worry about that." Izuku said it with such confidence, a teenager declaring he knew how to take down the greatest hero who had ever lived. Why, she knew someone who would be interested in that little tidbit if it was true, but for now she just gaped in astonishment at her young prodigy.

**New OC's**

**Battery - Rai Kita - Quirk: Battery, he can absorb/drain electricity, store it in his body and manipulate it for combat, though charging himself does take time.**

**Sky Board - Miku Hinami - Quirk: Sky Rider, this allows her to manipulate the air around her feet, normally forming a surfboard she rides around. Known for her black market delivery skills due to how fast she can go, though due to public quirk limits she doesn't have as much control as she would like.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own My Hero Academia or any of the characters.**

**Things are beginning to get more intense. Also posting this earlier than planned because it was ready and I will be away end of the week.**

**We hope you enjoy what we have been cooking up...**

***Edit* 10.6.2020 - minor tweaks and scene shift markers.**

Chapter 3

The next two months passed in what felt like days, but also years. Burying himself in work sped things up, but the wait had still been killing him. He trained hard with his new team, any awkwardness with Toga dispelled by how little she cared to bring it up, even though they both knew the effect it had on Izuku and he knew how much she enjoyed it.

They even began to master team up moves, Sky could carry one person with her easily, then launch them with a push of her quirk. Battery got proficient enough with his blasts he could avoid hitting people unintentionally, which had helped leave opponents open to attacks from another teammate.

During that time, he also planned in great detail the upcoming break in. The other three were also dispatched on missions for him, all paid out of his own pocket, or from his blood bank in Toga's case, as a lot of the aims of said missions were disruption rather than profit. He sent Battery wherever electronics needed to fail, or to random locations to make it look like the infrastructure itself was at fault and spread a small amount of chaos when heroes were in the area. Making life more difficult, but not risking loss of life, to drive tensions up.

Sky was sent to use her speed and quirk to disrupt high profile events, random gusts of wind making various heroes look silly, or even look like a problem when Endeavor took offence at being laughed at and let off a burst of his flame quirk in anger. Her missions also involved moving things around to cause trouble, signposts changed or lost, newspapers scattered and other minor annoyances and minor vandalism. When she asked why, Izuku laid out his idea for her, it wasn't the heroes she was targeting, so much as the people. If they were agitated, it would be easier to direct their aggression to a target of their choice, in this case heroes who were at a loss to understand the series of problems that they had no way of dealing with; afterall what kind of villain would pull pranks? It might even encourage some civilians to consider the harsh quirk usage laws, that only let heroes legally use their quirks in public, given non heroes were helpless to stop this wave of nuisances.

Toga and him trained together, pushing themselves to get better. He had told her the next part and she couldn't wait to put it into action. Since he had entered her life, she had gained easy access to all the blood she could want, more money than she knew what to do with and was now moving to actively undermine the heroes she so hated; all while supported by the first person not to be put off by her quirk. Everything was going better than she could have dreamed of when she tracked him down on a whim all those months ago, good thing her curiosity got the better of her blood lust for a change.

About a month before their launch day, Izuku took her aside when he received a delivery. Taking her to a side room, he opened it and revealed a box of about three dozen thumb nail sized, red pills. Each one had a name and number assigned to it. When she looked at him in confusion, he explained what they were.

During their training and experimenting, he had come to the conclusion it was the DNA she needed to transform, not the entirety of the blood itself. So he had worked with Dust, to create pills that had all the water sucked out, leaving what she needed in a much smaller and portable version.

For the first time in years, she had no idea what to say, so she just hugged him, smiling to herself when he hugged her back after only a few seconds. While she only needed a cup of blood to transform for twenty four hour, these pills would let her do the same while taking up a lot less space. This kid really thinks of everything huh, it's almost scary...

While he kept his team busy, when not doing his office work, which he was increasingly training up a hard working office group to delegate to, he was working with the Broker to finalise the plans. They identified the perfect target, Toga breaking into his house and stealing his blood over the course of a week, so he could commission five of the blood tablets from Dust. The concentrated form he had devised was enough to last over a day, Toga had got bored when testing after the first 24 hours, but it proved the idea worked.

It also meant, between the blood bank and the previous robbery, she could carry enough tablets with her to transform into any one of dozens of people as required. While she still kept her blood tank for use in combat, it gave her more ways to infiltrate or escape. Her increased speed quirk meant that even losing sight of her for a couple of seconds would mean she had changed form; in a crowd you would never see her coming.

Or in this case, she could vanish into a busy area, like U.A High school, when surrounded by dozens and dozens of heroes; both pro and those in training alike.

Three weeks to go, once the Broker had assembled all the data and gear he needed, he sat down with the other three members of his team and talked them through the plan. Sky had been accepted by the others, so she knew what he looked like under the mask; like the others it had taken her some time to get used to how the mind coming up with all these plans and ideas was still a teenager. Especially one who got easily flustered when Toga flirted with him, though Miku found that funny and humanising, while Kai just rolled his eyes having become used to it by this point. Apart from the Broker, the people she had worked for hadn't been the friendliest, so she could see why Toga and Battery trusted their leader without question. Izuku was a rare breed in their circles, she originally thought it was a facade with his desire to help, but quickly realising he wore his heart on his sleeve and meant what he said. She didn't know his history, so just accepted his drive to better people's lives and had seen him thrown in with those he wanted to help, rather than knowing the manipulation behind it.

It wasn't even official, but he was the man with the plan as they say, so they all followed his lead. He was the youngest of them, but his focus and determination was so breathtaking it didn't matter to them. He treated them like partners, not minions, which helped secure their loyalty in a short space of time. The Broker had been overheard teasing some of her contacts about the wonders of treating their people like humans, rather than assets.

His grand scheme, or the latest part, was to break into the U.A High School, the number one hero training school in the country, and tap into their systems. They were looking for data on the upcoming and current pro heroes, specs for support gear from the support classes and anything that could give them an edge. Even if it was as simple as finding out what the school and it's heroes were planning in advance, what kind of training they undertook and their tactics; it would be useful information. If they managed to pull it off, which given Toga's abilities wasn't too far fetched, the Broker was willing to pay them a lot of money just for the access, let alone the information contained within. Izuku was more than a little bemused about how she was more excited for his plan than he was.

Izuku once again turned down his share, as he had something else in mind which even Toga hadn't expected. He intended to take the schematics the support classes devised, then make them to use against the heroes. Any money he made from the break in, as well as the growing pile of cash he was getting from his quirk business, would be ploughed into this new venture. Everything was being geared up to create a support system like the ones that kept the heroes supplied.

A quirk support agency, then a blood bank and the medical help that had attracted, and now a support item lab. All with the aim of leveling the playing field, but also lucrative ideas that on paper sounded crazy, but were proving so successful that people were beginning to take notice in certain circles. A number thought it was only succeeding because no one had thought it would work long enough to try, but interest was certainly building; especially in accessing these new services.

After this job, it would put them on the map for good if they wanted.

The day Izuku had been waiting for for months had finally arrived. The entrance exam for U.A. The one day of the year they wouldn't question the presence of strangers or the disruption it would bring; as prospective students from all over were flocking there to try and get one of the forty class spots that could make or break their career.

Battery and Sky were loitering nearby, relaxing in nearby cafes, ready to jump in and get Toga out if things went wrong. Izuku sat with the Broker, both eagerly awaiting the results and watching events progress from cameras surrounding the school. Once they had access to the school's closed system they could monitor events inside, but until then they were limited in what they could see. While the cyborg was calm, her companion was fidgeting nervously, months of planning all coming down to this. They knew the rough layout, who would be on the grounds and knew what to expect as much as they could before accessing all the data.

There were more things that could go wrong with this plan, but also a lot less things to control. The first part went off without a problem and Toga installed the remote access dongle without being noticed; with the acceptance of the odd greeting from people who knew the man she was disguised as. The Broker was in heaven as she devoured the information that began pouring into her mind, while Izuku picked out the parts he wanted specifically. Support gear items that would help those with weak quirks, or in his case, no quirk at all. Information about the favourites of this year's batch of heroes. The names and abilities of those about to graduate and even some of the alumni were quickly gathered and set aside to be processed later. The school had been so sure their system was secure, that once the villains were in, they could see almost everything.

It was then they came across the live feed of the hero exams, she turned in surprise to look at Izuku, as he gripped the desk he was sitting at; letting out an uncharacteristic growl. Checking what he was looking at and spotting his childhood tormenter, she smiled to herself. Well if we needed any more motivation for him…

Toga made it out in one piece, the only time she nearly got caught was when she was infiltrating the support workshop and nearly got caught by a teacher, able to quickly hide behind a mech suit project until the coast was clear. She managed to swipe a few samples though, to add to the technical specification they had downloaded, which would help get them going creating their own gear. It took several more hours before she made it out safely, just leaving would have raised suspicions, so she made it look like she was keeping busy for the rest of the shift. Even knowing this, Izuku didn't breath easily again until she had safely left the school grounds. When he managed to surface from the tidal wave of data that was flooding into their servers at least, jerking back to reality with panic when he remembered where she was.

He also didn't stop worrying until she had returned back to their base, twirling around with a flourish as she morphed back to her usual self and handed over her loot. When they were alone, she was shocked when he pulled her into a long hug, smiling softly and rubbing his back as his anxiety overtook him. It was a reminder how much he had come to care for the shapeshifter, just from her supporting him through everything. She did keep the hug going longer than he was comfortable with just to tease him though; not that he was going to complain given the success of their mission.

It was a plan so mad that it worked because no one expected it to be attempted. With the Brokers resources, Izuku's brain and the information they had just lifted, they quickly set to work recreating and altering every sort of support item they could imagine, adding to the quirk notes of heroes and even starting files on heroes that wouldn't be appearing for another year at least.

His main focus to start with, was mini grenades or capsules, each filled with a different kind of core. The theory being that if you found yourself up against a quirk that you couldn't counter, then you might be able to use one to either knock out, or distract long enough to escape, whoever you might face. Flexibility was the goal, having seen too often how a bad quirk matchup could win a battle before it had started.

The other three had been handsomely rewarded for their efforts, even though it had been almost all Toga and Izuku, the other two weren't surprised when they were included in equal shares, but certainly appreciated it. When he presented each of them with the prototype capsules as a reward, they were excited to try them out.

Which led directly into the next phase, now they had time to plan the next step, they needed to start getting a support base built up.

Training with the new capsules started the next day, though Battery had them removed after he accidentally set them off with his quirk and nearly blew a hole in the wall. The other three had more success, but practice had to wait until they had evacuated to another training area before heroes and the police came to see what exploded. They had quickly been able to rig it to look like a gas line had exploded, but Izuku and Toga had spent a fraught couple of hours in hiding nearby when they weren't able to clear the area in time.

When the heroes were satisfied it had been a freak accident and moved on, they waited a while longer just in case, Izuku's legs going to sleep from Toga being sat on them, while she tried to keep her giggles down; the close contact from their tight hiding spot had left him blushing almost the entire time. As they made their way to the meeting the other again, he was grumbling at the grin she couldn't keep hidden the entire way and how she kept poking his red cheeks..

Once they were once again safe, they set about practising and coming up with new versions, eventually settling on seventeen different kinds; most of which came from the groups overthinker who was trying to cover every possible situation.

Once Izuku had run out of ideas and the other two had departed, Toga dragged him off for a surprise, pulling him along hand in hand and grinning as he descended into a blushing, flailing mess again.

The surprise ended up being an apartment a few blocks from the Broker. Or more specifically, one purchased and owned by the shell company that ran the quirk agency. It was a small one, a dozen apartments, but with the idea that Izuku would live in one as it put him right in the city itself. Everything had been arranged between the two women, all he had to do was sign and his legitimate empire would grow; he didn't even have to think about it. He did have concerns about them ganging up on him in the future, but would have to wait and see what they did.

Most of the apartments were already rented out, but the two on the top floor were empty, Izuku taking one of them as his own. On paper he wouldn't be here, it was being rented by a fake manager at the office, who Toga was impersonating when needed, but in reality he had the run of the place, and as long as no one checked too deeply, he had a home away from home. He would have to tell his mother it was for work, the money he was sending her way allaying any concerns about the job and was just pleased he was doing well. When he called, she took the news that he had already been given access to a room with a bed, in case they needed him to stay overnight, as a sign he was being lined up for promotion. The plans for the company's expansion weren't exactly secret, which allayed all concerns about his cover story

He went with Toga to check the place out, while he trusted the others in his team, he also knew that the fewer people that knew where to find him the safer it would be; given the line of work he increasingly found them in. The warnings from the Broker and Toga helped, as they were both more aware of how much attention people were paying in certain circles; wondering where this flood of information and ideas had come from. Some had even figured it out and were working out if it was worth stealing this newcomer away for their own means or not.

He eyed Toga with bemusement as she bounced on the bed, giggling as she flipped over. A springy double bed was something of a novelty for her. Smiling at the sight of her having fun, he explored the rest of the apartment. It consisted of a large bedroom and on suite bathroom with a shower, a good size kitchen and living room, as well as a small office room. Even with Toga around, it was perfect for his needs. Tossing a spare key onto the bed, he told her he would be back after a quick trip home; she was too busy enjoying herself to reply.

Grabbing a few changes of clothes from home after a tearful reunion with his mother, then swinging by a few shops grabbing things like spare bedding, towels and some food to stock the fridge, he headed back to his new place. When he got in, he dumped the food in the fridge and poked his head in the bedroom to see how Toga was doing. In his absence, she looked to have worn herself out and was curled up in the middle of the bed with a contented smile on her face. Despite having known her for the better part of a year, this was the first time he had seen her like this. Or with her hair down from its usual buns, fanned out over the bedding behind her. I don't think I've ever seen her that peaceful, he thought to himself, she's always a bundle of energy when awake and she is cute when asleep. Deciding that might be crossing a line, he busied himself with storing his new purchases.

Putting the bedding away and then hanging up the towels, he paused as he passed the large mirror and turned to look at himself. While he still had his babyface, the last ten months had left him leaner. Taking his shirt off to look, he had to admit that all the training and trying to keep up with Toga had paid off. While he wasn't bodybuilder size, he had noticeable muscle now, only really hidden by his baggy clothing. He might still be quirkless, but he was no longer the helpless kid he used to be, physically and mentally stronger; or so he hoped. He was pondering the changes, when he jumped in shock as Toga grabbed his arm, yawning sleepily in what he considered an adorable way. He had never seen her when she was tired and it was a nice change of pace as she rubbed her eyes sleepily, shaking out her tangled hair.

"Come to bed Zuzu, it's late," she grumbled, taking his hand and leading the way. When he realised she had stripped down to her shirt and underwear to sleep, he blushed deeply, not that she commented on it for a change. She slumped face first on one side of the bed, patting the other and he could just make out "your side" before she fell asleep again. Shaking his head in amusement, he got ready for bed, tucking her in and slipping under the covers himself. While still blushing, as he had never shared a bed with a girl before, he drifted off with the image of said girl at peace once more.

When Toga woke up the next morning, she followed the smell of cooking food into the kitchen, grinning when he turned to greet her and realised she hadn't got dressed and blushed again. Dammit he is an adorable nerd when he blushes, she thought to herself while grabbing a plate of food and sitting at the small table.

"You know, this might be the longest time we have spent together, outside of work stuff, in all the time we have known each other, why is that?" she asked around a mouthful of eggs.

"Well, we are both busy and I wasn't sure you would be up for that. I haven't really had friends before…" Izuku trailed off there, shyness was a hard habit to break, even with all the work that both he and those around him had put in.

"Hmm, probably should have guessed," she admitted, having heard all about how his life had gone so far and how badly he had been treated by everyone but his mother until the shapeshifter had come along. "We should go to the arcade!"

"The… what's brought this on?" he asked, confused.

"I'm bored and felt like it, come on Zuzu, I know this great place!" Izuku rolled his eyes and let her drag him along, after everything, he didn't have the heart to say no to her. "Also, you've got to tell me where you learnt to cook such yummy food!"

"Well it's always been just my mum and me, so I had to learn to do it myself from a young age…"

A couple of days ago…

"So this guy can help us with our quirks and make us stronger? What makes you think he will be that easy to grab? If people are willing to pay that much money for him, he must be well guarded"  
I've been watching the place for days now, there's like a dozen people working there and none of them look strong. The guy we want is a kid, don't know what his quirk is, but it's the one with green hair. All I know is he's worth a million Yen if we can get him"

"Excuse me, but you could just make an appointment you know?" The three thugs who had been huddled together, a couple of back alleys away from the quirk agency, all turned at the newcomers voice. Seeing a blonde teenager in a schoolgirl outfit, the leader grinned, his quirk making him more beast-like as he stepped forward.

"This is one of the people working at that office," he told the others. "Now little lady, you're going to take us to your top guy, nice and easy and neither of you get…" His sentence was cut off, as a knife impacted point first in his throat, he slowly sank to his knees and weakly clawed at the handle while blood soaked his shirt. The one stood closest to his downed boss barely had time to react before their assailant was upon them, a demonic grin on her face as she bore down on him.

Against such speed and blood lust, he lasted seconds, slumping against the wall and gurgling his last with his throat cut as she moved onto the last one. He tried activating his quirk, extending his fingers to attack her, but found his assault cut to pieces as her knives made short work of his hands as he screamed in agony. The scream didn't last long when she reached him, embedding one knife to the hilt under his jaw; killing him instantly.

"Too public to enjoy…" she growled in frustration, licking the blood of her weapons as she regarded the bodies strewn across the alleyway, blood pooling around her feet. "Well best make this look good, so no one else thinks about coming after my Zuzu." Containing her manic giggles, she set to work staging the scene, slicing up the bodies further to make it look like they had ambushed a madman and not a professional killer. A lady has to have standards after all.

She also resisted taking more blood, knowing she had all she could want back home, but taking enough from one of them to enact the second part of her sudden plan.

Word got around quickly about the massacre, while the authorities believed it was a mugging gone horribly wrong, with the victims all being petty criminals, the underworld knew the truth. They got the message, about what would happen if they targeted a certain up and coming group and one of its members in particular. One of the thugs who was thought to have died at the alleyway had gone back to their hideout and killed the other five members; an incident that was quickly buried due to the sheer brutality of the act.

If not for her shapeshifting quirk, she might have struggled to get back to her place undetected, blood drunk as she was, but she did eventually make it back; all while questioning why she had been willing to go so far over the matter. She had nothing against killing, but something felt like it had changed this time. Having someone to protect besides herself was something she had never expected.

And back to the present…

"So, you're telling me this boy has no quirk of his own? Yet you don't mind backing him?" the dark figure queried of the Brokers monitor, sat in a hidden, neutral location for their meeting.

"You've seen what the boy has done, there's something about him that seems to draw people to him. We have done our best to… guide him, as it were, but it seems a run in with All Might is what drove him off the path of a hero. He says he knows something about the number one hero that makes him not a threat. I used to think the kid was crazy, but now, maybe he's the kind of crazy our kind needs." The Broker was not usually one to ramble, or get nervous, but this particular customer was a special case.

"Interesting, would you be willing to set up a meeting for me? I wish to hire him for a consultation, one which may prove beneficial for him as well."

"Hmm, very well, but it will need to be the following week, meet at the usual time and place in three days after the U.A results are posted, if that suits you?

"It does, I am rather looking forward to meeting him already." The tall figure stood and left, grinning behind his helmet. If this kid knew All Might's big secret, this could prove very useful…

Izuku had to admit, he had fun at the arcade, though that might have been more down to his hyper companion. He was lost as soon as he stepped through the door, but was whisked away to play all sorts of games. While he struggled at the start, he was beginning to get the hang of the controls after a couple of hours, his clumsiness meaning he still lost any game against Toga, but was at least able to help when playing with her. The crane games however were beyond him, if he didn't know better he would swear they were rigged, but Toga was ecstatic when she finally won herself a plushie, hugging it and grinning at him in triumph.

Alright, it had been fun, just relaxing with a friend without having to worry about work. He paused for a moment, trailing behind her as she led the way further into the arcade, he hadn't thought about it, having never really had friends before he wasn't sure what they were. Her behavior was all over the place, some days she was physically affectionate, others she barely looked at him; the worrying ones were when she looked at him as though she didn't know what he was or it wasn't him she was seeing.

Dropping her prizes at his place, adding to the growing pile of her stuff being kept there, they trained through the rest of the afternoon. Later in the day he caught up on some of his work, arranging to meet with the Broker about a meeting she wanted to arrange with him and a high profile person; though she wasn't keen to go into more details until they met in person as this was a special case. Even after talking to Toga about it, he wasn't sure if he should be worried or not, but trusted the Broker not to send him into a trap.

Messaging his mother, letting her know he would be crashing in the city tonight, he headed back with Toga; not even questioning why she was still following him having gotten so used to her presence when he wasn't at his mother's place. Most of what he did was work now, his drive impressing everyone around him and spurring them on, so to spend even half a day just relaxing was nice. It was a long time since he had enjoyed himself that much and another thing he had to thank his partner for.

But he also had questions he wanted to ask Toga.

"So what was today about?" he waited until they were settled on the sofa before asking, nervously fiddling as he did. She had started letting her hair down, pausing for a moment, before finishing shaking her hair free.

"What do you mean?" she asked, resting back against the sofa and looking at him.

"Well, we haven't really done anything like that before, it's always been, well professional, so did something change or…" he paused mid ramble as she took his hand and held it gently, looking up in surprise and meeting her eyes.

"My quirk has always made me… unpopular," she started. "My parents wanted me to be a perfect, 'normal' girl, the nature of my quirk and the fascination with blood unsettled them. They forced me to suppress it all, be the daughter they wanted, not what they had; their perfect little fantasy. Which was fine, it worked I guess, until one day a guy attacked me. He ended up covered in blood, both of ours, all that time suppressing it and it came back even stronger than ever at the sight of him. He survived, but they cast me as the villain even though he started it, just because I ended it, and I've been on the run ever since. It's how I met the Broker and the others I know, I have a hole in the wall I sleep at but not a place to call my own. This place, with you, it's the most stable my life has been in my memory." Staring into his eyes, tears gathering at the corners of hers. "You were the first person to not judge me for my quirk, to even help and encourage me with it. I practically drooled all over you when you were covered in blood and you're still here. I don't know what this is Zuzu, I've never felt this way about someone with or without blood…" Her mouth turned up in a smile even as tears streamed down her face, her messy hair adding to the picture of confusion; almost pleading for him to understand.

"How can I judge someone for what they were born with? How can society?! With the blood banks we can keep your blood lust under control! If anyone else had bothered trying it you wouldn't have suffered so…" She was gaping at him, the force of his conviction blazing, almost physically manifesting and burning the air around his body. "You stopped me killing myself, you gave my life purpose and helped me do things I never thought I would have done before, helping me do something with myself. I owe you my life, I would have plunged off that rooftop without you and I will do whatever it takes to make you happy, like you've made me happy." He stopped, his brain catching up with his mouth. He was sat facing her, her hands in his, staring him in the face in a rare display of complete confidence.

"Zuzu…" she whispered, leaning in close. He could see her panting, from excitement or fear, he couldn't be sure. She turned her head slightly, tongue flicking over her fangs and lips as she leaned in and kissed him. He was blindsided for a second, before he was kissing her back, pushed down on the sofa as she climbed on top of him. Wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close, the kiss deepened until they both came up for air, gasping for air with her sprawled on top of him.

"Toga.." he whispered, while she nuzzled his neck, purring as she hid her blush under long blonde hair, almost clinging to each other.

"Himiko."

"Huh?"

"When we are alone, call me Himiko, we should be on a first name basis now. Though I do like hearing my name when you say it like that..." She purred.

"Hmm, I suppose that's true…"

"I've been calling you by your first name for ages Zuzu," she giggled as he blushed, having been trying his best to ignore that, rubbing her warm cheek against his. "Come to bed, we can talk more later, this day has been tiring for me and you look about ready to drop." She took his hand, leading him to the bedroom and he willingly followed without question.

He hadn't been sure what to expect, but was surprised when she stole his shirt to sleep in and spent the night curled up next to him, arms wrapped around his body like he was a giant teddy bear. Well it answered the question of what he was to her, apparently neither of them had a clue what they were doing which is where the confusion came from, they were navigating waters that neither of them had any experience of and coming at it from vastly different positions. The thing that then kept him awake for a while longer, until the warmth lulled him to sleep, was that he had no idea what the hell one does now; after the sort of confession had cleared things up, he had no idea what people do when they get into relationships. For once his overactive brain was quieted as he glanced down at Himiko's peaceful sleeping face, deciding that this was a good enough start for now.

Waking up in the same bed had been new, waking up when she was cuddled up to him was weird, but in a nice way. If someone had told him even a few weeks back he would be waking up next to a pretty girl, he would have laughed. Then it hit him, he did consider her pretty, but until she had crossed the line from professional to something more, he hadn't really considered it. Been far too focused to even pay attention to things like this, leaving her to be the one who started it all between them. Tightening his grip around her, causing her to stir in her sleep and nuzzled closer, he dozed for a while more; not needing to be anywhere for a few hours and perfectly happy where they were right now.

When he did eventually rise mid morning, he gently extracted himself from her grip, not sure what she had been doing lately, but it had certainly tuckered her out. Stepping into the shower, he let the hot water wake him up properly, soaking in the heat as he stretched. He also had a problem to take care of thanks to Toga, now he was openly admitting her attractiveness and remembering all the touching and teasing of the last few weeks, trying to keep himself quiet as he began masturbating. He gasped with surprise as he felt her hand slipped around him and wrapped around his length, a satisfied murmur in his ear. God he could feel the smirk he knew was on her face right now, without having to look back.

"Keep facing the wall babe, I didn't realise I had got you so worked up, so let me take care of that for you…" He kept his eyes ahead, bracing himself against the wall as her hand worked on him, uncertain at first, but quickly getting the idea from how he responded to different strokes and using his moans to dictate her speed and rhythm. When she had finished him off and the squirts of cum had been washed away, she let him go with an amused giggle. He turned to look at her, his wet shirt clinging to her showing the lack of clothes beneath, her hair plastered to her back, as she washed her hand in the stream of hot water and kissed him briefly. Grinning, grabbing a towel and leaving him to clean up, she went to get changed out of view. "We have a meeting to get to, so don't spend all day in there." she shouted to him, as he turned the shower off and grabbed a towel himself.

He sighed to himself, still catching his breath and wondering what he was letting himself in for.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own My Hero Academia or any of the characters.**

**We hope you enjoy what we have been cooking up...**

***Edit* 24.6.2020 - minor tweaks and scene shift markers.**

**Chapter 4**

"Himiko, what was that back there?" he asked in hushed tones, having been rushed out of the apartment, cheeks still red from thinking about it.

"You needed a hand dealing with something that was my fault, so I took care of it for you." Seeing the uncertain look he gave her, she pulled them to a stop. "Look Zuzu, I like you, I've never felt this way around someone before, without them being covered in blood, and I can get carried away…" He knew that all too well, having nearly been bitten or cut by her on several occasions when training went too far. He also had to wonder if meeting him when covered in cuts and burns was what drew her in in the first place.

"No, I understand, it's not like I know what I'm doing either," he admitted, blushing slightly while she giggled at him. "All of my ideas of how these things are supposed to work is based on TV, but we are hardly a normal couple…"

"Well, let's just see where things take us, make our own way. You might be the man with the plan around here, but I'm more of a go with the flow kinda girl. Now come on, we can't keep the Broker waiting!" Izuku sighed as he allowed the energetic girl to drag him along, an extra bounce in her step from being called a couple.

"All For One?" Izuku asked, frowning in confusion, having never heard of the name before.

"One of the best kept secrets of the underworld," Broker told him, "after his near fatal encounter with All Might some years ago, he has kept largely to himself, beyond being the secret head of an anti society group and various manipulations for whatever end goal he really has in mind."

A near fatal encounter, could he be the one… Izuku thought to himself. "When is this proposed meeting taking place?" he asked aloud, the cogs whirring away in his head.

"In two days time, he is not a man to be kept waiting. My top negotiator will be going with you, but he has agreed on an additional person if it makes you feel better."

"I see, Battery would probably be best for that, also be useful to get him more involved," he murmured, already jotting down notes before getting back to business. "How is the data mining from U.A going?" This was the real gold mine he was hoping would do more to help them than everything else combined.  
"Oh you have no idea just how much they've hidden away! Already come across a few juicy tidbits that might be useful to use later." A grin appeared in the shadows, reflecting the light as she barely contained her glee. "By the time the heroes realise we have all of this, we will have cut down on their advantage. If we can begin to get organised, as you laid out, it might just be the ground work you're hoping for now we know how they function."

"I'm guessing you've also made a killing out of it?" Izuku grinned, while he disliked the heroes for making it all about the fame and money, he had come to accept that money spoke louder than anything else in this world and was needed to get things done. Unlike the heroes, his new social circle were not pretending to be something they weren't; just doing what they needed to to survive in this world. Just more signs the system needed to change.

"Well we do need the funds to compete. Besides, it has attracted many more who are interested in working with you, we might need to consider expanding our operations just to keep up with this new demand.."

"Do you have a list of possible candidates?"

"No ... but I'm sure I can find you some, based on those you've worked with and maybe further abroad. I can get you some options by tomorrow most likely. Assuming you haven't had another brainwave and added to the current plans?"

"Things are the same as last time we talked, you're always the first to know. Right, then for now I'd best start getting things set up… Oh and have my latest requests come in?"

After their lazy day yesterday, Izuku and Himiko threw themselves into several hours of training and sparring. Battery watched in amusement, leeching power from several running, cycling and rowing machines as some of their regulars really got into their stamina training. While gyms were common enough, ones designed specifically to help strengthen their quirks were unheard of outside of hero work, so they had gained a small following. Sky had taken to the teaching aspect, putting those with speed based quirks like herself as well as keeping an eye on everyone to head off any potential problems.

They had also recruited Kasai Katsuo, known as Scale Fist as his quirk allowed him to manifest bone-like scales across the skin of his limbs and back, plus the strength required to move with all that armour. While not the fastest in speed, Izuku had introduced him to boxing and other styles and moves to help give him more versatility. He had also employed Katsuo to help run the underground training ground, while not in the inner circle of Battery, Sky and Toga, he was one of a growing loyal following to the Izuku and his ideals; the teen they had taken to calling Quirk Coach in respect for his help and insight. While it wasn't a free service, having someone actively wanting to help was a novel development.

They had a couple of dozen regulars now, plus a number more hangers-on, while there was a small fee to cover costs, Izuku mostly offered his services for a lot cheaper than anyone else. Not that many were offering, but they did it to make money, while he did it for ideological reasons. As before, someone willing to help out those discarded by society, or who just fell through the cracks, was unusual enough that the numbers who were protective of the Coach were growing. That he kept an eye on everyone and even employed those he thought would benefit or be able to help out helped considerably too.

Both the underworld and legit businesses were growing at a rapid rate, as the Broker mentioned, and he could no longer rely on recruiting from the people he was training. The quirk analysis business was swamped, even when he was able to make it to the office, to the point they were looking at opening a larger office in a nicer part of the city with an attached quirk testing centre. As that was going to be fully legit, they were putting out job adverts, but the smaller office would still be for both sides of their business but more towards the underworld disguised as helping the less fortunate parts of the city. Training all those new employees would be time consuming if he has to do it on his own, so he has stepped up training the current staff where possible.

He called it a break to the fight when a courier arrived, even with his improved stamina and ability, Toga was easily running rings around him and he gladly took the excuse to rest; ignoring her triumphant smirk. Checking it was the items he was expecting, he called Sky and Battery over to have a look.

Thanks to the technical specs they had lifted from the U.A system, along with alterations made, they had found themselves with access to potentially a larger array of support items than they expected. As a bonus, on top of the capsule belts, Izuku had also commissioned a couple more items he now presented to his teammates. For Sky, he had requested that a scrambler was built that could fit into her belt. This would mess with nearby cameras and other recording equipment, making it harder to track her and near impossible to get a good image. In Battery's case, as he couldn't use regular electrical equipment without draining or frying it, he had commissioned a specially designed phone that wouldn't be affected by his quirk. At the very least, it would make getting in touch with him a hell of a lot easier.

The advantages of setting everything up weeks in advance and throwing a lot of money at it, they had been designed and built in a matter of days. If they could get this level of production going full time, they would have no trouble keeping up with demand. He reiterated the point to his team, that things like this was just one of the advantages heroes had, take it away and the gap between them narrowed making for a fairer fight and bringing more balance to the system. While Sky was more in for the benefits it provided, she wanted more freedom to use her quirk which Izuku could make happen, while Battery and Toga were more interested in fighting back against a system that had dismissed and hurt them. Others around them were the same, taking note of Coach's unusual generosity to his closest followers, many of those watching either had quirks that were seen as scary, dangerous or just not of use in society and were paying attention to how willing the coach was to work with unusual cases and how much this was a front.

Something Izuku had dismissed when he sat down and worked with them all, his openness and excitement to work with new quirks quickly overcame any concerns about his intentions. Only his closest three allies in the group knew he was quirkless, but no one questioned him anymore; his villain suit, newly acquired abilities and growing confidence helped him stand tall for the first time in his life. The ever growing line of people wanting to get advice or training off him certainly helped that sense of achievement and the further confidence boost he got from it. Toga was proud of how far he had come in a way, remembering the scrawny kid she had met nearly a year ago. Oh she was just dying to play with him more.

Spending the late afternoon and evening at the office, while he enjoyed the other aspects of his new life, analyzing quirks would always have a special place in his heart and something he would do to relax even if he wasn't getting paid for it. Himiko was bouncing around the office doing who knows what, hopefully assisting in some way, while he went over training with the other members of staff and caught up on his case files.

After a couple of months of being operational, the office was beginning to get the hang of it, making Izuku more of a last resort or premium service than before. His new coworkers had certainly learned a lot from the training notes he had provided them, the best using them to approach problems in new and creative ways. The odd hero had even dropped in, while they were the only group who had regular access to services like this, there was curiosity around the first civilian one. Especially one with such a high customer approval rating.

Not that anyone had caught the electronic manipulation the Broker had pulled to get the company legally ready for business. As long as that remained the case, the growing company would be safe from the law and beyond reproach.

Heading home hand in hand with Himiko, he spotted more of her stuff had appeared in the apartment; even finding a storage box of blood packs tucked at the back of the fridge. Remembering what she said about not really having a place before, he had an inkling that part of getting this apartment block had been as much for her benefit as his. Given what he had done for her already, this was far from the worst thing to put up with; the company was welcome. The way she smiled when they were alone, the softer, uncertain smile, it stopped him from asking any questions about it. He still got the manic grins when her blood was up, but the smiles were important to him; especially given her history. He wanted to know why she looked nervous sometimes, but figured he would find out sooner or later.

He still blushed when she touched him, holding his hand, cuddling up to him and even the odd kiss, but he was getting better, or so he hoped. Given they had only kissed for the first time the previous day, it wasn't going to stop overnight, but he put his best effort into it as always.

Falling asleep with her curled up next to him was certainly easier this time around, not getting as worked up now he knew she liked him. And that she probably wouldn't stab him while he slept; at least not intentionally.

At least, that's what he hoped was going on in her head, she bounced between moods so fast sometimes it was hard to keep up. The cute face she made when he stroked her back eased his worries somewhat.

He woke up to find Himiko wandering out the shower, wrapped in a towel and drying her hair with another. Unsure what she was doing up so early, he went to check his messages, before she stopped him, gave him a quick kiss and told him to get a shower himself first. Confused, but trusting her, he did so, quickly showering, getting dressed and joining her on the sofa, where she handed over a tablet he didn't recognise. They worked with a tech based group so hardly surprising, but this also meant it was a message they didn't want to risk sending digitally.

When he went to ask what was going on, she told him to just read it. Turning his attention to the screen and seeing it was a list of the students who passed the U.A entrance exams and would be receiving their letters of acceptance today, he quickly scrolled down the list, until he came to one name in particular. 'Katsuki Bakugo' - class 1A.

Himiko was watching him closely, unsure how he was going to react. He finished going over the list, paused for a few seconds, before smashing the tablet on the floor and letting out a barely suppressed scream of anger and pain.

"They let that monster on the hero course!" he shouted, jumping to his feet, anger overwhelming the guilt he felt for breaking it; the idea of his childhood tormentor being considered a hero driving him into an uncharacteristic rage. He felt arms wrap around himself, freezing as she buried her face in his back and whispered soothingly to him.

"See, the heroes are growing further from their founding ideals as time passes, we need you to help us resist them." Then quieter, "I need you…" He calmed down quickly after that, already calculating how best to proceed, not seeing the manic grin she was hiding behind his back. Or the sadness hidden in her eyes. She had known all about the abuse, beatings, burnings and more and kept reinforcing the idea that it wasn't heroic behavior. Months it had taken, but she had eventually gotten her green haired partner to come around to her way of thinking of his former childhood friend.

It had been a gamble, but they knew Izuku was primed, that such a big push would send him over the edge forever. He had already proven an asset, if they could get him to stop holding back so much, he could do so much more.

She curled up next to him on the sofa, legs across his, and arms around his neck, cuddling each other close while he regained his composure having cried out his frustration and rage. He was thankful she was there to comfort him, a little embarrassed she had witnessed his outburst, but she had waved his apologies aside, sat him down while she cleaned up the broken tablet and joined him again.

His next move was to call up the Broker, arranging for upgrades to his costume for meeting all for one, adding in some support items, lightweight armour and a slimmed down helmet. Toga sat next to him the whole time, already aware that his suit had been modified in preparation for tomorrow. They had come to understand his thinking to some extent over the last year, so requests like that were easy to prepare in advance.

All the time, effort and money they had invested in Izuku was for this point, where he was fully against heroes in general, not just the corrupt ones. Months of manipulation and the final piece had been gifted to them; an unstable teen getting accepted onto the top hero school and a prime target. Just from the tone of the conversation with their benefactor, she knew they had him, new ideas to strike at the heroes forming as they spoke; all driven by his pain and anger..

All For One had been an unexpected development, but depending on what he wanted, it could work out in their favour. She would keep an eye on things just in case.

When he had finished with his calls, she kissed his neck, feeling him stiffen with surprise as she slipped his shirt off.

"Let me give those scars new memories," she whispered, feeling him slowly relax as she placed gentle kisses on every scar on his body as she made her way down. While she was aroused by the abuse he had obviously suffered, keeping herself restrained to just kisses for now, the part of her that hated heroes raged that this was all done by someone who was accepted as hero material. If Izuku went after this kid, she would happily help him and make sure it hurt.

Apart from his two main allies, no one knew what had happened to Izuku, just that he suddenly had gone into overdrive. He was a hard worker at the best of times, but now he was like a man possessed, often having to be reminded to eat or sleep when getting carried away. Bouncing from one job to the next, sweeping others along in his fervour, he had gotten things rolling in all the branches of interest he was involved in and they found his slightly manic energy contagious.

He wanted to build a support system to allow them to challenge the dominance of the heroes, force them to accept the broken system needed changing. These first few steps were helpful, but they also needed to start working at weakening things on the heroes side as well. The longer heroes like his childhood bully were left in place, the more damage they would do and Izuku was increasingly familiar with just how badly that could go for none heroes.

In the end Izuku attended the meeting with Battery for support, who was now dressed in a similar suit to his boss in stylised black and green. He had been flattered when the electric quirk user had turned up in it, as he wasn't keen on being known to the public yet, he hadn't thought about having a uniform of sorts and this fitted the bill. Having been told nothing about what to expect, he was surprised when he came face to face with All for One and found him to be a tall, helmeted man in a suit.

Despite his relatively plain looking appearance, the man had an aura about him that put them on edge. This was dispelled somewhat by the ambassador, who's quirk allowed her to release chemicals into the air that calms people down within ten metres of her. Despite his worries, he sat down with the mystery villain, having never heard of the man today he was intrigued about what the purpose was here.

The first thing the villain asked him was if he had seen the wound on All Might's right hip, Izuku correcting him to the left side of the chest before he could stop himself; one of his bad habits letting him down. Grinning so broadly that even the mask couldn't hide it, All For One proceeded to query the teen about it, the others were too far away to hear, keeping an eye on things from the doorway, so Izuku told him everything. How All Might was getting weaker. How it looked like he could only hold his hero form for so long, based on their encounter, having reverted to his weakened form in front of a stranger and struggling to regain it to defeat the sludge villain. He was stunned to learn that the man facing him was the one who dealt that blow to the number one hero, while quirks made it hard to judge how dangerous someone was, All For One didn't look that physically intimidating; though the sinister aura surrounding him made up for it.

He was told of the history of All For One and One For All, opposing quirks and how they worked. The version of history he received from the villain was a twisted, biased version of the truth, he knew this, but he also knew the same was the official version. Thanks to the months of manipulation and lies, Izuku soaked it all up, accepting that things were even more crooked than he realised without question; as it fitted all his recent experiences and the common threads between the differing tales he had heard. When told All Might will pass his power down, Izuku had to suppress another burst of anger, another reason the symbol of peace had failed in his eyes having been in a position to help the quirkless teen; further poison dripped in his ears and turned him down a darker path. He was most interested when All For One told him that he could give Izuku other quirks, in exchange for his assistance and access to the complete quirk database he had been building up.

The words "how would you like a quirk of your own" was like something out of his deepest and darkest fantasies, he almost couldn't believe them when he heard it aloud.

He agreed very quickly, the chance to get his own quirk too much, it just showed to him that there were ways around the quirkless bias. Just because this unfair society labelled the man able to end the problem a villain, how many more had suffered because of this. All Might had known a way, but he hadn't used it, while All For One was happy to raise them up. He praised how much Izuku had managed to progress in such a short time, even with the help of others. He wanted to help Izuku rise, the quirks he offered originally were ones that would give him great combat power, give him the ability to go toe to toe with the best of heroes, with training. The teen had other ideas, wanting a quirk that would let him work faster, speed up his body, but not specifically to fight with.

In the end a deal was struck, Izuku's work and mind, in exchange for a quirk called Analytics. It increased his mental and physical speed, once he had control of it, he would think faster, move faster and gain other benefits like increased strength, stamina and mild healing. It was the enhancements to his brain that caught Izuku's attention. While he had trained he knew he didn't have the instinct to kill, to cause great harm. He was a thinker and that was what his focus would be on.

He had a month until U.A school year started, knowing All Might would be working there as a teacher, knowing what it meant as a symbol, he knew that's where the main fight would be if he wanted to overturn the system.

To that end, his new benefactor also told Izuku of his plans, how he had founded the League of Villains, set it up with a figurehead to lead when All For One passed on. That he might need Izuku's help, but both had much to learn before that day would come.

He also told him of the Nomu, how they were built to house a multitude of quirks in combinations designed to fulfil a specific role. This was the main thing he wanted Izuku's help with, to see what combinations he could come up with. Or rather, it had been originally, now his parting words gave away the new plan he had formulated during their chat.

"I can't wait to see what you do with a properly applied quirk, unlike some of those who stain the name of hero…"

Preparations were quickly made based on the data All For One had provided, Izuku's main problem would be getting his senses and reactions under control. To this end, he put their development team to work creating a sensory deprivation suit, one that would have altering levels to it, allowing him to reduce the buffer it would offer as he adapted to his new abilities. All For One also offered help through his quirks and science, making sure that Izuku would be out of action for as little time as possible. They had also brokered an agreement, to pass quirks onto those without they considered worthy of having them, to help raise up that abused sub class.

Izuku wasn't sure how good that promise was, but took the willingness to consider it as a good sign and if anything came from it then it would be at least one more person saved from abuse.

It took three days for everything to be in place. Himiko had moved in with him in all but name, so was the first to notice the change in him. The anger at his former friend being accepted as a hero had died to a dull ember, whatever All For One had told him had stirred up yet more. When he told her what had been agreed, she was at first shocked, then concerned.

"Zuzu, why are you doing this?" she asked, rolling over to face him in bed. Her unusually serious look and tone gave Izuku pause, before asking for what exactly she meant. "You started out wanting to help us, now you're talking about fighting the heroes and even accepting a quirk, what changed?"

"You showed me how rotten the world is, all of you did, leveling the playing field is impossible while the current corrupt system is in place, so we need to break and rebuild it. Besides, I started doing this for you, the first person who actually took the time to talk to me, to care about me…" he ran his hand through her hair as he said the last part. "I need to get stronger, I can't ask others to take risks for me that I won't be willing to do, at least this way I have more chance of surviving those risks along with you."

"Zuzu…" she whispered as he leaned in and kissed her, returning the kiss with vigor. They had warped this driven, idealistic kid into something they could use for their gain, someone to aim at the heroes he used to worship and let loose; while part of her was turned on by his increasing darkness, a small part of her was sad too. A part that wished she had known him before she was too polluted and blood soaked to be helped. Maybe she had always been beyond saving, but it was a nice fantasy as they made out.

She was pretty sure he had seen that side of her, knew about the blood lust, but didn't care. It was nice to be seen as a person again, even if only for a little while. She had also noted the confidence he had in her abilities, which was more common, but still meant more coming from him; especially when he was laid on his back after a training session. The way he smiled up at her, battered and bruised and still in awe, it reminded her of an old emotion she didn't think she could actually feel anymore.

"We should go on a date after I've recovered," he declared the next morning while getting ready for the procedure. Seeing her confusion, he explained. "You said you wanted to see how it goes, do what feels right. To me, taking you out on a date feels right."

"Never actually been on a date before…" Himiko admitted, blushing slightly, though not able to match the shade of red Izuku had gone.

"Me neither, bu-ut I would like to take you on one." She giggled and gave him a hug before they got serious and headed out. He had a date with destiny, as much as Himiko had giggled when he tried declaring it aloud.

Toga accompanied him for the operation, hanging around outside the surgery until the following day when he emerged in the sensory deprivation suit. Whatever they had done, it had worked, his brain had nearly shut down at the sensory overload until the suit was in place, but he was already beginning to adjust. It took two weeks for him to be able to use the quirk without harming himself and to discard the suit. With less than two weeks to go until the start of school, he started on the new phase of the plan.

During the third week, he felt he had enough control to try fighting. He had kept up the training, so had not lost much strength or speed, but if he could successfully use it was the big test. Sky fell off the wall she had been sitting on when Toga put him on his back, his increased speed still no match for her experience and he didn't even mind the burst of laughter he received from the surfer. He had much to learn and the training was giving him new ideas. In a way he almost needed to start over with combat training, as he had a lot more options open to him.

Battery and Sky were happy enough with the changes, they had seen their boss pull off some daft stunts, so gaining a quirk, while unheard of, didn't surprise them that much. If anything, the only thing that had changed was that he worked a lot faster now, practicing his new mental and physical abilities while working on his quirk cases, training and setting up the future plans. Each day, he spent the morning at the office working on case files and getting ready for the opening of the second office; which was also his cover for being so busy lately when speaking to his mum. Afternoon was training, both himself and others, once he had got a handle on his new quirk he was making rapid progress. Years of theory, studying and applying it to others allowed him to test and understand his abilities relatively quickly. In some ways, it almost felt familiar, close enough to how his mind worked it seemed to fit into place nicely; Izuku marked that down to similar thought processes and whatever All For One and his doctors had done.

Both Toga and the Broker were surprised and amused with what he came up with. To start driving home the point about heroes not being fit for their role, he wanted to start hitting the businesses they ran and used their fame to advertise. By the time the start of school rolled around, several shipments of Mt Lady's hair products, Best Jeanist's clothes and some really bad self help book written by a particularly egotistical minor hero, amongst other products, had all been damaged or destroyed in transit. While angering the heroes, their actions, added into the attempts to embarrass heroes in public that were still being produced, was beginning to gain some small amount of public support and encourage a certain level of resentment.

Choosing targets of the more fame hungry heroes, while ignoring the heroes who did engage in heroics for more valiant reasons, painted the mystery group in a more positive light; they weren't criminals as such, more extreme protestors. As seeds of distrust went, it was a promising start, but not growing fast enough for the teenage mastermind, even with the subtle hints about Stain's beliefs. The teen had to admit, a meeting with this hero killer might prove useful at some point, but no idea how to track him down.

They also targeted support agencies, Toga led the way due to her infiltration skills, sabotaging or destroying projects from private manufacturers; while also stealing a copy of their data to add to the ever growing archives. Their targets were carefully chosen again, giving the impression that it was a response to increasing self centred heroes and suppliers; which they were, but with the aim of targeting the whole lot by proxy. The media even began to link them to Stain, seeing them as different sides of the same coin. Those headlines were just what Izuku had been waiting for when they eventually started cropping up.

The main problem now was the lack of big hitters in his group. He had Battery, who could in theory go toe to toe with some of the bigger names, as long as they kept pumping him full of electricity, but the rest would only be a threat in groups, even with their new gear and training. The one exception being Toga, but he wasn't ready to risk killing heroes, that was a step too far right now and he wasn't sure she would stop if he let her loose.

The Broker had long employed bodyguards and other security personnel, this had been expanded with Izuku until they could muster maybe forty fighters, mostly mutation quirks, though he had one individual he had encountered he wanted to add to his main team; but that would have to wait.

Right now, he needed a normal looking person to be the owner of the company that he ran, managers as well now he thought about it, to help it go fully legitimate and expand its reach and operations. A private security force to protect an up and coming company would be a great cover story for training a larger group without needing to worry about being caught as much. He just needed to workout how to get the government to accept it.

"Momoko Doi?" Izuku queried, going through the latest list of possible recruits, pausing when he noticed the one thing that stood out to him.

"Yes, we came across her on a forum she frequents," the Broker replied, looking up from whatever she was working on. "Top grades at school, struggled to rise up the business ladder despite passing all her management courses with flying colours, but she is…."

"Quirkless" he whispered, locking eyes with her as she nodded.

"One of the few to have risen to any real level, that she rose so far despite the bias against her, speaking a lot for her ability." As Izuku knew full well, quirkless people were treated as second class citizens, if that. His partner also knew, though largely from his experiences and later research.

"She's the one, our new business manager. Think you can set up a job interview?"

"As it happens, she does occasionally put out feelers, so shouldn't be too hard to manage for me," the glowing grin showed her amusement at how simple a request this was, even as she kept an eye on her young companion. He had already set the file aside and was working through the rest at a speed that outstripped his previous abilities. She shouldn't complain, his quirk database had expanded at breakneck speed since he got his quirk, but when All For One was involved, it pays to be careful.

What are you planning now, she wondered to herself as they settled down to work again. Pinging an email off to Doi, they arranged a meeting for three days time, the day after U.A started.

One thing he knew from going through the mountain of information they had stolen from the school, was that the first few days involved testing the extent of the new students' abilities and seeing just what they could really do. Unsurprisingly, the explosive quirk user he was fixated on, scored highly in them; his quirks power and flexibility gave him a speed and strength advantage and Izuku couldn't deny the guy knew how to use his work effectively. What was also interesting was the array of ways the students were putting their quirks to use, Izuku could see ways for them to improve, but they seemed a capable bunch. Some even looked like they might make good heroes one day.

He managed to keep a straight face when Bakugo appeared, still ashamed at his earlier outburst, otherwise he scribbled frantically to record everything that might be of use, what they could do and ways to counter them. He would look at the other classes later, but right now he was focused on his nemesis. He couldn't even remember when exactly he began feeling this way to his childhood bully, just that it was a recent thing. He was unaware just how much his new found friends and allies had been influencing him. He was also beginning to feel like he was moving in more directions that originally intended, but with his new quirk, that shouldn't be a problem to keep up with…

The new data would be added to his existing notes in the coming weeks, but first he wanted to see how the class reacted to the explosive teen. While they weren't exactly friendly with him, his self centred attitude scaring a number off, they also didn't reject him as the monster Izuku knew him to be. Well they let him in that damn school, looks like it's not all it's cracked up to be…

He was laid in bed with Himiko that night, having worn himself out from earlier events and even more with training that afternoon and was happily enjoying some alone time with her. Over the last few weeks, they had become more comfortable with each other, she didn't mind him touching her body anywhere he wanted, even letting him return the favour from the shower on a rare occasion. She still had to offer when she wanted to do new things, Izuku was still too shy and a gentleman to take advantage of her, though her habit of walking around the apartment in little or no clothing was beginning to test his restraint at times.

Tonight though, he seemed particularly wound up, between tomorrow's interview and seeing Bakugo in action, he needed to relax. Kissing his neck, her hand sliding under the covers to grasp him, with more practised strokes now, humming in satisfaction as she felt him react, hands on her ass and ragged breaths as she pumped him faster.

"Relax Zuzu, let me make it all better…" she giggled, nipping his ear with her fangs as she worked her magic.

The next day, he went with the new face of the business, a guy who worked for the Broker and wanted to go legit, with a quirk that let him change his hairstyle. Also happened to go by the codename the Face as he was a showman at heart. He was another of the Brokers negotiators, who had proved himself trustworthy, but there would still be checks and balances in place, just in case. When Izuku said he wanted to separate the legitimate side of their growing empire, it had been accepted with little question, they would most likely find out exactly why down the line. All going to plan, it would be part of the final stage he wanted to take; if things got that far.

The new, larger offices were still being finished off, mostly the quirk training centre, but the main office block was mostly completed. Passing the receptionist, a woman he vaguely remembered was hired because she had a memory quirk that would help her keep everything in order, they passed through to one of the meeting rooms at the back where their prospective new employee was waiting for them. While her profile picture had shown her to be a pretty woman in her mid twenties, they weren't expecting her to be quite as stern in her dress and bearing; everything from her clothes to her shoulder length black hair was meticulous. Clearly someone who took everything with the utmost seriousness, regardless of the situation, or maybe it was because of the opportunity on offer.

While the Face was wearing a full suit and putting on the charm, Izuku was wearing a shirt and trousers, hoping his age didn't show too badly as he took notes during the interview. Doi gave him odd looks from time to time, but looks to have written him off as an assistant of some sort. Eventually, the interview began to wind down, which was when she tensed up and asked the question Izuku had been waiting for.

"At the risk of being rude, why did you get in touch with me? It doesn't look like you're interviewing anyone else and if you have a personal assistant, surely you should be able to run this business?" She laced her fingers together, giving the Face a blank stare, waiting to see what he did. What she didn't expect was for him to look at Izuku and them both to burst out laughing. Seeing her confused look, they got their breath back before explaining.

"Oh the lack of quirk isn't an issue, Izuku here is quirkless as well and he's my best employee. As an analyst, not as my assistant. I will be looking to expand the business rapidly, I need someone competent to run the core areas such as our analyst sections; which is why I wanted him to listen in and give his opinions, as you will be working closely together to start with. As you have had to work harder to prove yourself and overcome the bias against you, I think you would be perfect! I admire someone with a drive like that."

"You're quirkless too?" she asked in shock, staring at Izuku properly for the first time in the entire interview, "How did you even get involved in analyzing quirks?"

"I grew up wanting to be a hero, when I found out I was quirkless I started making notes about them to help my dreams. They found my blog when starting up the company and offered me a job, which I accepted straight away. I can't be a hero, but working with people and their quirks is still amazing." he explained, seeing the look in her eye and unsure what to make of it, she certainly was the calculating type.

"Hmm, I see…" she thought to herself for a few moments before continuing, "So when will I hear back from you?"

"By the end of the week, when would you be able to start if we do hire you?"

Izuku tuned the others out as he went over his notes, his 'boss' acting like this wasn't a given and held no interest for him. Her organisation skills looked to be just what they needed, along with her drive, she had the job as far as he was concerned; it was his call after all. He needed this company to stand on its own two feet and succeed, without criminal interference. Beyond the initial seed money at least. He also had a feeling that Doi would have more questions for him when she started working, so would need to keep his new quirk hidden from her and keep her away from the more questionable parts of the business until they had been spun off.

A further highlight of the day was when he returned to the Broker, only to be shown a clip from the U.A training grounds of Bakugo being chewed out for going too far with his quirk and injuring one of his fellow students. It was All Might himself who was doing the scolding, as the explosive teens idol it would hurt doubly to his pride. Finally seeing his old nemesis facing actual consequences was just the highlight of what had been a good week so far.

Little did Izuku know, things were due to escalate any day now and throw his carefully laid plans into chaos.


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own My Hero Academia or any of the characters.**

**We finally make it to the USJ event, the start of the fallout and an increasing unhealthiness.**

**We hope you enjoy what we have been cooking up...**

***Edit* 24.6.2020 - minor tweaks and scene shift markers.**

**Chapter 5**

The morning had started off peacefully, waking up next to Himiko, he kissed her forehead, smiled as she squirmed cutely in her sleep and got up to make breakfast. Things were getting underway, the next step was to start recruiting some stronger fighters, training up groups of people with low level quirks was fine to counter the police and a lot of heroes where needed, but even Izuku had to admit that the higher ranked heroes were beyond their ability to touch currently without a lot of luck. He was surprised when he received a phone call from the Broker, which quickly turned to confusion when he was told to turn his laptop on and link in to her network for a live recording that would be starting soon. It was something big, she didn't usually contact him like this unless it was important, so he quickly moved to comply.

Booting it up, he let the cyborg work her magic, pulling up a feed of the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or U.S.J for short. Seeing class 1A entering the building, he felt like he was missing something.

"So it's another training exercise?" he asked down the phone, unsure what he was meant to be looking for.

"Oh it's better, we were contracted to arrange a job for our mutual friend, lower the security on this building so they can launch an attack and get All Might." she was practically humming to herself, the glee in her voice was impossible to miss. "Now you can see how others would go about it, could be an interesting lesson."

"What? He's striking already?!" Izuku barely kept from shouting. He had spoken with All For One about their plans, he was focused on the number one hero, while Izuku was more focused on the system, but he hadn't realised the villains plans were this far advanced.

"Along with some of your trainees, they wanted to get some experience against trainee heroes. I did warn them, but they were getting paid and keen, so couldn't stop them." Izuku slumped back in his chair, hand rubbing his eyes as his brain caught up, working out how this was going to affect what he had in motion. "Just sit back and watch kid, they assured me they have a foolproof way to deal with All Might, the others are there to keep the kids from getting in the way. Our help is just to give them time to deal with him before the other pros can get involved."

"All Might isn't there," he pointed out, scanning the cameras and only seeing the Pro Heroes Eraserhead and Thirteen. Things were already going wrong, he could just feel it.

"What? Dammit, best try and warn them…"

"I think it's too late for that." As they had been conversing, the class entered the U.S.J, Thirteen giving them some sort of explanation he couldn't quite hear over the cameras, as a dark hole appeared in front of them and a number of figures walked out of it; a few Izuku recognised from training. Guessing this was One For All's strike force, based on the descriptions he guessed the guy covered in hands was the leader, flanked by what looked like one of the Nomu he had helped work on. Realising what was going to happen, he quickly grabbed up one of his notebooks and prepared to take notes, getting ready just as Eraserhead leapt into action.

He had seen a lot of videos of hero battles, but Eraserhead was notoriously hard to get good footage of, avoiding the media as much as possible and dealing with more background threats normally. Able to see him fighting from every angle was an absolute treat for the teen, scribbling furiously away as he watched the Pro take down several enemies with relative ease. Leaping into action while trying to get his students free, he acted like a true hero when called upon to step up. For a moment it even looked like he would single handedly defeat the attack on his own, until the leader sprang into action. Moving to deal with the rampaging Pro himself, he ordered the black cloud quirk user, who looked to be the one who teleported them in, to scatter the students and villains to the different environmental zones.

At a glance, the spread seemed random, the girl with a frog quirk had been sent to the shipwreck zone, along with a guy who looked like a mini Eraserhead and the one with sticky hair. He hadn't memorised the class list yet, focusing on the big names, so pulled the list up on his phone to see who they were. Tsuyu Asui, Hitoshi Shinso and Minoru Mineta, Frog quirk, brainwashing and…

Izuku had to double check that last one, a pervert with sticky hair was one of the top hero candidates. Well it would be an interesting watch. Or it should have been, Shinso used his quirk to gather the villains around them together, some sort of mind control quirk, and got Mineta to throw a bunch of his hair into the water; trapping the villains while Asui carried them to safety. He had to commend them, coming up with a plan quickly and successfully executing it. There was a similar story at the other fights, with students working together to take down their opponents. None of his trainees had ended up together, so their attempts at teamwork fell flat while the students' attempts gave them the edge; though he was proud to see them try to work together against the heroes as he had taught them.

He quickly cycled through the fights, taking notes before the Broker dragged his attention back to the proper fights still going on. The black mist villain had used Thirteen's own quirk to down the hero, while the leader had been able to hurt Eraserhead, but had resorted to using the Nomu to avoid falling to the Pro; the creature simply overpowering the Hero and slamming him into the ground. Izuku wasn't sure exactly what the plan was, but minutes later when the student with a speed quirk escaped, he had a feeling it was beginning to unravel beyond saving. It was when the students began converging back on the entrance way that things began to go horribly wrong.

Frustrated with how things were progressing, the lack of All Might and being hurt himself, the leader leapt on a trio who appeared out of the water. Grabbing Asui's head, his first attack was neutralised by Eraserhead, but the Nomu had hurt him too much and the survivors could only watch in dismay and horror as the frog quirk user disintegrated before their eyes, managing to get a few words out before she had been reduced to dust in a matter of seconds. It wasn't the quickest death, she had enough time to know what was happening to her as she simply unwravelled, her skull briefly visible in the villains hand before that too dissolved to nothing.

Izuku dropped his notepad to the floor in shock, the pen clattering off the desk and bouncing away, hands flying to his mouth to avoid vomiting. The hero in training had been his age and just killed like it was nothing, right in front of his eyes. Based on her actions earlier, she would have made a good hero one day, ready to leap in and save others without hesitation.

Things only got more chaotic from there. Shinso was able to brainwash the leader and stop him from killing anymore, until the Nomu forced him to release his quirk and retreat. The mist user was taken down by other returning students, including the explosive youth who had Izuku's blood boiling just from sight. The bastard even looked to be enjoying the chaos and the fights he was engaging in.

It looked like things had swung back to the villains side, the Pro's were down, the student frozen in shock at the death of one of their own and the Nomu practically unopposed as it moved to kill the other two students in front of it. All a while its controller laughed maniacally at the carnage around him, only pausing when a gust of wind blew through the area, drawing everyone's attention to the entryway and the massive figure that stood there outlined against the sunlight pouring through the shattered doorway.

"MY STUDENTS, FEAR NOT, I AM HERE!"

All Might, the current Number One Hero, the Symbol Of Peace who saved people with a smile, stood in the doorway to the facility. It was the only time Izuku could remember seeing him without a smile. The look of cold fury on his face, having witnessed the death of his student as he strode through the door, saw the injury of the others, it made the villains take a step back in shock as the air rippled around him; enough that it could be seen on the cameras. An aura of such fury that any question of him being weaker was dismissed, even though Izuku knew the truth.

There was no mercy, the weaker thugs were taken down in seconds as the Pro ploughed through them, All Might moving too fast to follow apart from his enemies falling to the ground unmoving. Eraserhead was moved to safety, as well as the remaining students nearby, and all in seconds. Izuku knew the Symbol of Peace was weakened, but watching him in action, even as he tried not to throw up, he would have believed the hero was at full strength still. He focused on his breathing, only vaguely aware of the battle on screen, All Might and the Nomu going toe to toe in a fight that would have been one of his greats back in the day. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the end of the fight, the Nomu punched through the ceiling, the heroes arriving and subduing the villains unable to flee; the leader warped out by his second in command but leaving everyone else behind.

All in all, it had been a shoddily executed plan that could have worked, but ended horrifically. Himiko had been standing in the doorway for the last few minutes watching with him, wearing just his shirt from yesterday, before glancing down and realising the state Izuku was in as he edged towards a full blown panic attack. Taking the phone from him, apologising to the Broker who was asking if he was alright, before hanging up and throwing it on the desk next to the laptop.

"Zuzu," she whispered, kneeling down in front of him and taking his hands in hers, feeling how much he was shaking. She should have been paying more attention, she might be used to death, but this was his first time that she was aware of. It gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling, being part of his first, but she didn't want him slipping too fast or it would break him. "Just focus on my voice baby, deep breaths."

She repeated this, while rubbing the back of his hands with her thumbs, until she felt his shaking subside, never letting her face leave his sight. When he was no longer on the verge of a panic attack, she stood up, straddling him on the chair and wrapping her arms around him; whispering soothing noises as he grabbed her close and buried his face in her shoulder. They sat there together, Izuku taking comfort in her presence and scent, clinging to her like she was the only thing in this world he could truly rely on, while Himiko stroked his hair and back. He was whispering how sorry he was as tears stained her shirt, she just giggled and kissed his forehead, knowing it didn't matter as it was his. There were perks to having someone to do your laundry for you, especially when you could steal their clothes. As for his break down, she just kept telling him it was ok, until he quieted down and had run out of tears.

"I should call her back." he had to repeat himself, they had been sitting there for a while now and Himiko wasn't sure he had actually spoken at first.

"Only if you're sure Zuzu, I know she would understand."

"Oh there's a few things that need going over," he told her, grabbing the phone up again, but leaving her sitting comfortably and happy in his lap, one arm around her waist, while she nuzzled his neck and watched him dial. "How many of our guys did we lose?" Was the first thing he asked when she picked up. He rolled his eyes when Himiko pulled out a lollipop from somewhere, pulled off the wrapper and popped it in her mouth.

"Straight to business then. Seven of our guys were captured, seems All For One's successor isn't quite what we were expecting."

"We weren't expecting an amateur, they had no real plan, when things went wrong they lost focus and got almost their entire force wiped out to kill one hero in training and maybe injure All Might further!"

"That's the secret you knew about him, isn't it?"

"...yeah, I met him in that form the day he cast me aside. The day I met Toga…" She perked up at the mention of her name, purring happily as he smiled and scratched her head. There were times he likened her to a giant cat, cute and murderous at times, but also affectionate when it suited her.

"I see, no wonder you didn't see him as the biggest threat, knowing there was only so much he could do…" He could hear the cogs in the cyborgs mind whirring, calculating what this meant and what Izuku had planned. The thought of her trying to guess made him grin.

"He has limited time so throwing enough across a wide enough area and he wouldn't be able to hit everything. If the injury is as bad as it looked, then the more we overwork him, the weaker he will become, assuming he isn't already slowly losing strength."

"Injury? Who… All For One right?"

"I think so, it's what he implied when I met him and he is the only candidate I've heard of who even comes close to the power needed to match or even surpass All Might. Even with the heroes, the gap between him and the number two rank is a huge void." All For One had terrified him in a way he hadn't thought possible, but the truth of his words couldn't be denied with the evidence he had been presented.

"So what will you do now? The League of Villains is on the march and the heroes will strike back hard after the death of a student. As it happens, they conducted a secure sweep immediately after the fight and found our backdoor, so we no longer have access to up to date information." The Broker sounded the most annoyed he had heard, but they know that pushing things with the League's founder would be asking for trouble.

"This has certainly made things harder, the death of a hero in training will also turn public opinion against us… What was this guy thinking, it was almost like he didn't care what it cost to try and take down All Might, kept yelling something about RPGs and final bosses?"

"Huh, if that's the logic he's using… Izuku, how much do you know about video games?"

"Huh? Not much, never really played them…"

"Then we need to give you a crash course, if this guy thinks like how I suspect, it might prove useful." He agreed to meet her expert in a couple of days, then hung up again, discarding his phone. Leaning back in the chair, one hand rubbing his face and the other holding the affectionate girl who was cuddled up to him closer.

"What ya gonna do Zuzu?" she whispered, lollipop pushed to the corner of her mouth as she regarded him with eyes he couldn't quite read. He needed to get better at reading people, it was making things difficult.

"We need more information, this guy just set us back in terms of knowledge and manpower as well as undoing some of the work we put into making people turn against heroes." He paused, staring at the ceiling as he thought, the hand on his face falling to stroke Himiko's mess of hair, which had the effect of calming them both down. "There's an upcoming event at the school that we might be able to use, I doubt they will be lax enough to let us hack into their computers again after discovering it the first time, but there are other ways to get information and gage public opinion. We just got a lot more work dumped on us.." the last part was beginning to sound frustrated, so she shut him up with a kiss, taking his face in her hands as she did, her loose hair falling around them and shutting out the rest of the world.

"No dwelling on it, find out what we need to do and your girl Toga will make sure it gets sorted." She told him, forcing him to meet her gaze and flashing a toothy grin. "You've not led us wrong so far and I don't expect you to start now, got it?"

"Yes, Himiko…" he returned the smile, pulling her down for another kiss, enjoying the moment before they got back to work again. Her faith in him surprised them both, him because of his insecurity and her because she actually meant her declaration of loyalty.

An attempt to reach out to All For One was meant with a frustrated response on both ends. His successor in training, a man called Tomura Shigaraki, was determined to do things his way, despite his recent failure. The villain admitted he might have overdone it with building his heir's confidence up, but would be in touch if anything changed and the offered help was required.

Afterwards Izuku turned his mind to the U.A sports festival, the big event he wanted to get them in to assess the public's mood. It turned out his employer had been invited last minute, so getting in wouldn't be an issue. It might be a good introduction to the business for Doi as well, getting her up to speed would be useful if he wanted to focus on other things. She was due to start next week, she had accepted the job the previous day apparently, so would have a word then and see if she wanted to attend. They had a couple of weeks to get organised if so.

Himiko decided he needed some fresh air before he went to work that afternoon, so dragged him out to the nearest KFC for lunch as soon as they were both dressed properly. Shifting to her office manager disguise as they left, she noted his more restrained reaction as she took his hand and led the way; though he still blushed enough for her to consider it adorable. They were quickly seated, the lunch rush hadn't started yet so they were able to get a booth to themselves. Izuku watched in amusement as she delicately sprinkled salt on her fries, before drowning them in ketchup; the way she was licking her lips, giggling and poking it, it probably reminded her of another red substance.

Sighing affectionately and turning to his burger, the only sounds disturbing their meal was other customers and his lunch date amusing herself with her food, before wolfing it down and licking her lips happily. She leaned back while he finished his meal, kicking off her shoes and resting both of her feet on his leg. Grinning as he almost choked, she hummed to herself and played with her phone, when he realised this was just her relaxing around him and nothing inappropriate - yet - he returned to eating.

Ignoring the smug and amused look she was giving him, he tidied up the table and put all the rubbish on their tray, rather than leave it for the staff. "Such a gentleman Zuzu," she giggled as he blushed. She could jack him off without getting him flushed, but a little public flirting and he fell apart still.

"I just like to make it easy for them," he managed after a few seconds of muttering, barely containing a yelp as her foot slipped between his legs.

"You know Zuzu, I don't get it, you seem more flustered by the romantic stuff than the dirty stuff…" she trailed off as her foot stroked his growing bulge. If he hadn't been distracted earlier, she might have taken offense; he did nothing about her lack of clothing, but now he was more his usual self she wanted to make up for the missed opportunity.

"H-Himiko!" he whined quietly, gripping the table and looking around. Luckily the angle hid what they were doing, so she dropped her other foot down, massaging him between her soles and grinning at his mix of arousal and fear.

"What's wrong Zuzu, you not enjoying yourself?" She drawled, fangs on full display as she watched him trying to hide his excitement.

"Please, not in public…" he panted, the sight of him begging stirring something in her, wanting to see him do it more. But not now, enough teasing, she needed more.

"The shower, clothes off like a good boy, now!" she growled at him quietly, slipping her shoes back on and heading for home, knowing he would be right behind her. Just where she liked him on occasion, he liked checking her ass out and she was happy to show off for him.

Walking in the front door, he locked it behind them, quickly stripping and moving into the shower as commanded. Himiko was the more dominant personality, but had never ordered him like this before. Not to say he didn't like it; one look at the lust in her eyes made it very clear she did too, as she ran her eyes over his body, before making him assume the position. Jerking him off in the shower was the way she preferred doing it and today was no exception, though she had one hand on his ass and nibbled his ear; teasing him as she brought him closer to the release they both wanted, but not rushing. Since she had started doing this, she wanted to train him to last as long as possible, on the off chance she did decide to go all the way.

This time was mostly for pleasure and relaxation, stroking him at a decent pace and listening to his begging moans echoing; the main reason she liked doing it here. Leaving him panting and satisfied, she turned to leave him to clean up, pausing in surprise when he grabbed her hand, managed to avoid either flinching or hitting him for the sudden move.

"Himiko, why won't you let me touch you that way very often?" The question was asked softly, without judgement but with curiosity. She accepted hugging, kissing and even let him grope her ass, but had so far limited anything further apart from a couple of times she had guided his hand between her legs in the dark. She hesitated, so far he had respected the limitations she placed on their fooling around, this was the first time he had directly asked.

"I… haven't been with anyone who doesn't just want to use me…" she admitted, looking away. "You're sweet Zuzu, I don't want to ruin you, or us, but teasing you is too much fun…" She trailed off, old scars too close to the surface, nuzzling his hand as he cupped her cheek and wiped her tears away.

"Himiko, I would never do anything to hurt you, you mean too much to me…"

"What if I wanted you to?" she asked, nervously and nibbling on her lower lips.

"Wanted me to…?"

"I've been hurt before Zuzu, I came to like it… pleasure and pain are so very close..." she growled, her voice thick with desire, "you're a good boy you wouldn't hmm!" Her words cut off as he kissed her, pressing her against the wall and sliding one hand up her jumper. Unbuttoning the shirt beneath, tugging her bra out the way, he cupped her breast in his hands, massaging and squeezing the nipple, pinching it and getting a moan of pleasure from her lips. The jumper was pulled up and off, tossed aside as the rest of her buttons were undone, his teeth finding her shoulder and biting as she began panting; guiding his free hand up her skirt to stroke the front of her undies. Positioning his hand for her to grind again, she was openly moaning in pain from her upper half and pleasure from her lower, as Izuku fought to bring her to climax.

Himiko had initiated things every time they had done more than kiss and cuddle. She knew he enjoyed it when she touched him, but had never been one hundred percent sure he wasn't just letting her use him. Now that he was the one pushing it though, she knew exactly how he felt about her.

She wanted to last, she wanted to tease him so badly and see how far he would go, but the surprise assault was too much and all thoughts of holding back vanished. Wrapping one leg around his waist, pulling him close against her as she ground against him and running her fingernails down his back, gasping with lustful pain as his teeth drew blood. She watched drops of his blood falling from her fingertips, licking them clean as he writhed against her, pushing her into the most intense orgasm she had experienced.

When he kissed her afterwards, she could taste both their blood mixed together, taking his hard member in hand and bringing him to a less intense, but satisfying climax, stood in front of him in just her sodden underwear and bloody smile. She washed his cum off herself afterwards, amused that he found her covered in blood and semen to be a turn on as he didn't last as long; though that might have something to do with her near seethrough underwear.

She checked his back over, thinking she had gone deeper than intended, but found his quirks enhanced metabolism was already beginning to heal it. Would most likely be gone within the day, Izuku had not been keen on testing the limits of that particular part of his quirk, so she kissed the cuts for luck, enjoying his shudder. Then he got booted out the shower, as he had work to do and had been delayed enough, despite his whining about wanting to stay, he knew who was in charge in the bedroom. When he had shut the door, she discarded her soaked clothing on the floor and admired his handiwork in the mirror.

There was a nice bite mark on her left shoulder and her nipple was swollen from the rough treatment, but it just got her more aroused. Has no problem with blood, pain and whatever else I've thrown at him so far, is he the one for me? He looked so good with blood on him and didn't mind it on me...

She grinned a pointed smile in the mirror, All For One might have messed up her plans a little, but Izuku is still her plaything and she intended to keep it that way.

"You might want to keep an eye on your young prodigy," The Broker told her. Toga was crouched on a workbench in the cyborg's workshop, watching as she dismantled and reassembled some large pieces of tech that were beyond the shapeshifters ability to understand.

"He… didn't take it well," Toga sighed, "but what am I supposed to do? Death has been a constant, all that lovely blood…" she trailed off as her eyes glazed over, yelping in surprise when a bolt bounced off her forehead.

"You already know, in a weird way you two balance each other out. He helps you keep your worst habits restrained and you bring him out of his shell. I'm still amazed you didn't kill him within the first week."

"He was so sweet and caring I just couldn't do it! He looked so much like a puppy and looked so good in blood. I thought our world would break him, but he really can adapt to anything if he can survive this…"

"Look, just stay close to him, don't let him be alone with himself or he will dwell on it. Keep him distracted, he will probably throw himself into his work, but make sure he doesn't go too far."

"I might want him to go too far…" the Broker paused and turned to regard the younger woman who was fidgeting.

"I thought the whole point was to keep him away from the worst things we do? Why the sudden change of heart?"

"He's my tarnished knight, desperate to save me. I'm his blood soaked maiden who's beyond saving. He proved to me he will move into my world but I can't move into his. He's either going to end up dead or drowning with me and I don't know how I feel about it. Sad because I don't want him to fall, but happy because my Zuzu will be with me forever…" She trailed off into a demented giggle, nibbling on her finger as she remembered what he had done to her in the shower and just how far he might be able to go.

"Kids these days... just keep an eye on him, if he breaks too quickly, he won't be any good to either of us." Knowing Toga was lost in a world of her own, the Broker turned back to her device, while sending out a number of messages to select associates. She had come to be rather fond of the green haired kid, while she got on well with Toga, she didn't exactly trust her to be able to look after someone in danger of losing his mind.

Despite everything, the green haired teen managed to be on time for work, spending the afternoon catching up on his cases, adding to notes and helping his coworkers with particularly tricky cases. He was wrapping up for the day, trying not to think about the earlier shower, and focus, when a familiar voice called his name. Looking up and seeing Toga in her manager disguise, he smiled, before blinking and looking on in shock as Inko Midoriya followed her into his office.

"Mom?" He asked when his wits returned. "What brings you here?"  
"Oh Izuku honey, I've barely seen you in weeks! I happened to be passing by when I thought I would come and ask you over for dinner." It sounded like she had accepted he had moved out in all but name, but this invitation to dinner had the sound of an order behind it. The teen sighed, he did miss his mom and dinner sounded perfect. He was so relieved that's all it was, he almost missed the next bit. "And you can bring your young lady friend with you as well."

"Wh-what?!" he spluttered, blushing brightly while said lady friend giggled and rubbed his back.

"You've been throwing yourself into work the last year and moved out suddenly, you think I wouldn't spot the signs?" His mother looked pleased to have caught him out, even if his beau wasn't even slightly subtle.

"Looks like the game's up, sweetie," the shapeshifter grinned, kissing her partner's hot cheek and pushing him down into the chair to recover. "We would love to come, what time should we aim to arrive?"

"Well you might as well come with me now, the work day is over and I don't mind waiting for you to tidy up." Izuku's mother wasn't an intimidating looking woman, but the quiet steel in her voice was not to be argued with. Toga was happy to go along with it, just to learn more about Izuku, but it was already shaping up to be an exciting evening.

"So my dear, what drew you to my little Izuku?" The question came the second they were left alone. Toga was not expecting such bluntness from one of the Midoriya family, jumping in surprise as the older woman gave her a look that was hard to read.

"Well, his enthusiasm and how he looks after everyone really. He's been better to me than I deserve and I want to do the same for him," the teen replied after a few moments to think. "I've never quite met someone like him and he's already had a massive impact on my life."

Inko was nodding, seemingly pleased with the answer, though she probably didn't get the full implication behind what had been said; Toga was happy to leave it that way. Izuku might accept her without question, but she didn't want to test how far that went.

Finding themselves quickly ushered by the older woman to the family home after a short train ride, Toga and Izuku were sitting on the sofa while his mom bustled around the kitchen preparing dinner. They were covertly holding hands and giving reassuring squeezes, though who was giving support to the other the most was up for debate.

"Your mom doesn't take no for an answer huh?" Currently sporting blue hair and grinning at her blushing beau, Toga had been planning to start pushing his training more, but this was so much better. Good thing she had gotten her disguise ready beforehand, didn't want to be recognised if her identity got out. "So, got any baby photos? Embarrassing secrets?" Grinning widely as Izuku squirmed in his seat.

"There's time for that later dear," Inko said, calling them through for dinner with a sly grin that her son knew and dreaded. He was in trouble.

"And here is when he was three and running around in his favourite All Might onesie, I never used to be able to get him out of it," the elder Midoriya told her guest, showing her the third photo album of the evening. Izuku had gone into a trauma induced coma during the second one, currently sitting on the floor staring into space and mumbling to himself. While Toga was far from a fan of the Symbol of Peace, she couldn't help but giggle at how adorable tiny Izuku was. She also caught a moment of sadness in her host's eyes before she perked up and moved on.

From the chats with the green haired teen, Toga had an idea what that was about. The reason she had inserted herself so easily into his life was from being the first person to actually believe in him. Even his own mother had given up when he was found to be quirkless and still wanted to be a hero.

She had no idea her son had gone from a quirkless hero wannabe to a villain with a quirk, it would probably send her head spinning if she ever found out. While the shapeshifter really, really wanted to let that particular cat out of the bag, she had an alias to maintain, so she let herself enjoy the time. It was something of a new experience for her, hanging around someone with a good familial relationship, embarrassing photos aside.

It was nice to pretend for an evening.

"Your mum's great yah know," she grinned at him, sharing a brief cuddle and lingering kiss at the entrance way to the apartment building.

"You just like having more things to hold over me…" he grumbled, though the kisses did perk him up.

"Nah, it was frigging adorable, but that's just for me to know," she grinned winking and purposely giving a shake of the not entirely loose skirt she was wearing. I'll see you at the usual training spot tomorrow Zuzu! Don't miss me too much and call if you need me… just don't bring the onesie" she yelled back over her shoulder as she bounced off.

"Yeah, see you there," he grinned and sighed, scratching the back of his head as he waved goodbye and headed back inside. Spending the night at his mom's place would at least appease her for now, though he should spend more time with her, things had been rather busy of late.

Especially having lost their inside information, but he was certain he could come up with a work around.

"You know, it's been a pleasure staying here, but tonight was so nice I'm gonna move in with my boyfriend permanently now! Got to keep an eye on him." She giggled to herself, talking to the empty house as she gathered up the last of her belongings. The upstairs rooms were covered in dust, Toga happy to squat in the communal ground floor rooms, living in the kitchen and sleeping on the sofa. "I was running out of your blood and frankly I can't remember where I buried your parts, if animals haven't eaten them, so as good a time as any to move out!"

The house she was currently occupying was a little outside the city, down a rarely used road and formerly occupied by a family who rarely spoke with anyone. Breaking in one night about a year ago, she had quickly killed and drained all three of the occupants, before cutting up and disposing of their bodies across the surrounding countryside. Only amateurs used the back garden. It was just another in a line of safe houses she had made use of, though the Broker had given her access to a number if she needed, she now had a place to call her own for however long that lasted. The shapeshifter had actually been finishing off a loose end from her occupation when Izuku had hit her with the notebook that brought them together; in a way she saw it as fate.

Breaking the gas pipe in the kitchen, she damaged a lamp in the living room so that the wiring sparked sporadically. When the gas had filled up enough to ignite on it, she would be long gone and the house and any evidence of her presence would be gone with it. Just another mishap at a home mysteriously abandoned with no trace to say what happened.

It would just look like a freak accident, covering her tracks while she moved on, as was her modus operandi. The moonlight glinted off her bared fangs and dangling knives as she laughed maniacally to herself, she had a whole new game to play and it was proving more fun than she ever imagined!


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own My Hero Academia or any of the characters.**

**I have had a series of comments from Some Dude, who has raised some good points. I will be going back over the older chapters at some point to make some tweaks as he has some good points about suggested changes. Can't respond to you directly, just wanted to let you know I appreciate the feedback and will agree the pacing can be a bit off at times, but hope it has improved as we go on.**

**Less rushing in later ones, wanted to get everything setup and onto the good stuff.**

**We hope you enjoy what we have been cooking up...**

**Chapter 6**

"Why?..." came the voice of the frog girl, her skin peeling away, hair turning to ash and her eyes popping and running down her skull like tears. "Why?" she asked again, jaw bone imitating speech until it fell away, before her remaining skeleton exploded into shards and then dust.

Izuku shot up in bed, hand clamped over his mouth to suppress a scream, sweat soaking his clothes as he fought to breath properly. He knew it was a nightmare, he had seen her die, but right now he was too freaked out to think rationally.

Stumbling into the bathroom, he managed to get to the toilet before throwing up, trying to keep it quiet so as not to wake his mum sleeping in the next room; even as the bile burned his throat. Staying there until he was sure he had emptied his stomach, winching at the smell he got up and pressed the flush button. Moving to the sink, he washed the bitter taste out of his mouth, swilling the water around in his mouth before spitting it out and splashing clean water over his face. Bracing himself against the basin, he stood there for a few more minutes, until he had calmed down again and began to feel vaguely normal.

Looking in the mirror, even he had to admit he looked like shit, dark bags under his eyes standing out against pale skin, making him look more ill than anything. The last day or so had been taxing, more so than he was going to admit to anyone else.

Checking he was still the only one awake in the house, he headed for the kitchen, fixing a small snack to replace what he had just thrown up. As well as a couple of glasses of water to wet his throat again and hopefully settle his stomach. Once he had eaten and tidied up his midnight snack, he headed back for his room, not entirely shocked to see it was gone three in the morning.

He changed clothes and did what he could to dry out his sweat soaked bed, opting to sit at his desk for now. Pulling out his phone, he hesitated. She had said to call her if he needed anything, but this early…

It was closer to four when he did get the courage up to call Toga, unable to get back to sleep, shivering slightly at the chill as he listened to it ringing and struggling into a hoodie while he waited. He nearly dropped his phone in surprise when she picked up when he had it half on and got one arm tangled up.

"Zuzu… everything alright?" It sounded like he had woken her up, voice heavy with sleep and concern. He could even picture her rubbing her eyes to wake up. Her voice sounded more confused when she asked again, hearing his muffled voice and had begun to suspect he had been kidnapped before he got the hoodie in place and apologized.

"Sorry, I was just putting on a hoodie. I didn't want to wake you, but I kept seeing her die when I closed my eyes, that frog hero in training..." he told her, tears slowly running down his face as his voice cracked and he hid his face in his free hand.

"I told you to call me if you needed," she replied, sounding more awake now, he could even see her annoyed expression, it sounded like she was pouting too. "What do you want to do about it?"

"That kid, according to what I could find on her, she wanted to be a rescue hero and would have been a good one. This guy had the false hero there and killed an innocent instead for no reason…"

"Like I said Zuzu, what do you want to do about it? There are those on both sides of the law who will cause harm, it's what my hero Stainy fights against."

"Stain, he's becoming more active lately, he does have some interesting points…" Izuku murmured to himself, rolling his eyes at the giggle he heard.

"Maybe we should try and get in touch with Stainy, it could be fun!" Her giggles continued, but with an edge to them. Her interest in Stain was a little muddled to him, sometimes she declared she wanted to be like Stain, sometimes she wanted to be Stain; her bloodlust clouded her judgement there. It wasn't surprising, he was a vigilante who had killed or crippled a number of heroes and villains and all while using swords or knives, on paper he was probably a closer match for her than Izuku was, though she probably didn't want him dead yet.

"We can see if the Broker would be able to arrange anything tomorrow, I mean today." He growled, rubbing his eyes in frustration, but now quite ready to face sleep again.

"Hey Zuzu, seen any good quirks lately?"

"Oh yeah, I saw this really cool one the other day…" No matter the situation, Izuku could talk for hours about quirks and their uses. He lasted about half an hour before passing out on his bed. Himiko waited until she was sure he was asleep before hanging up and rolling over to do the same. Things were getting complicated and not in a good way.

When Himiko woke up, she had a feeling Izuku would be late, or at least should be, but she knew what he was like. It sounded like he hadn't slept much before he called her, so she pinged him a message telling him to be an hour later than planned and headed to the Broker. She knew she was a stabilizing influence on her green haired partner, but that there was only so much that would do until he either became desensitised to the death and violence, or broken by it. She was however good enough to know when things were beyond her abilities, she would never claim to be entirely stable, even if it was largely down to the circumstances of her childhood and her quirk, and she needed Izuku functioning;.

As her easy income, maybe a little because he was nice to be around. Just a little. Guy was a good cuddler, but a girl has a reputation to maintain you know.

The Broker agreed something had to be done. The cyborg was more open in her fondness for the green haired teen, he was good for business, but she also loved watching how his mind worked. Calling up the person they had wanted Izuku to meet for a gaming crash course, the arranged meeting was moved forwards to the afternoon, Toga just needed to get him there and see if they could help take his mind off things.

She was insulted when the Broker asked her not to kill anyone in front of him for now, she had made sure he was elsewhere every time she had had to kill someone. The older woman decided that was good enough, not sure the shapeshifter got her point, but at least she was being subtle about her dealings.

With that sorted, knowing he only had plans to spend time with her today, she went to go and see how Izuku was doing. Given how last night went, she wasn't keen on leaving him alone for too long.

When she found him, the answer wasn't great. He had noticeable bags under his eyes, he looked paler than normal and sluggish. He also barely reacted when she ran up in her disguise and hugged him, which concerned her as that was part of her fun; trying to get him to react as much as possible.

She took him out for an early lunch, waving aside questions about their training, declaring it to be a rest day, as he looked ready to drop. When he couldn't stop her from flicking his nose, he conceded the point and admitted he wasn't at his best today.

Nodding and bursting into action, she dragged him off to a ramen shop near the meeting place, getting Izuku to fill up and noticing he was eating more than normal. Now she thought about it, he had been slowly eating more ever since he got his quirk, while also pushing it more and more. She would ask him later, for now she was just jealous he could eat and eat and not put on any weight.

They arrived at the address they were given just after one in the afternoon, not bothering with masks on the Brokers recommendation. Knocking on a door hidden down a couple of back alleys and were surprised when what looked suspiciously like an 8 bit Donkey Kong opened the door and gestured for them to enter. It was made more surreal when they realised Kong was wearing a bow tie.

Heading down a staircase and along several corridors that looked abandoned, they eventually found themselves entering what turned out to be a large, hidden apartment. Without knowing where to find it, they could have been wandering around those tunnels for days and not found the place. Izuku knew the city was built on the older layers and had networks of tunnels and old buildings going down a long way. The Broker hid a lot of her operations down there, but he had never come across someone who lived on their own down here like this.

The main room was by far the largest, one wall covered entirely with monitors hooked up to games consoles and paused at various different points on a variety of games. It turned out the person they had been sent to meet. It turned out to be a short, dark haired woman who looked like something out of an eighties punk group. She went by the name of Byte, was an avid gamer and owned possibly the largest collection around. This was mostly to help with her quirk, called Eight Bit Animation, which allowed her to create physical copies of game characters, like the Donkey Kong who served as her butler and bodyguard. While her limit was currently up to five, depending on size and detail needed.

She was sidetracked for a while, when Izuku started gushing over how awesome Byte's quirk was, while it looked like she was maybe in her mid twenties, it sounded like she didn't get out much; or at least if she did it wasn't around other people often. The way she talked, people probably looked down on her for having such a nerdy looking quirk; maybe that was why she was so happy to show off for someone who genuinely loved it. Izuku was as easy to read as a book, the excitement and questions he had for their host quickly broke the ice and got them chatting like old friends, already onto how they could use her quirk in all sorts of ways. While it was nice to see him re energised, they had come for a reason.

"I hate to interrupt, but he will be asking questions like this all day if you let him. He loves quirks, the more unusual the better." She grinned widely, while her partner started sputtering and getting embarrassed, all while their host laughed.

"He is an interesting one, ey? Alright, on with this crash course I've been asked to give. Based on those clips our mutual friend sent me, it seems your guy is into his RPG games." Byte was straight down to business, plonking herself in a large sofa that faced the wall of monitors.

"RPG?" Izuku queried, sitting down next to Byte and looking over the screens, unsure what to make of it all.

"Role playing game, usually based around a story and involving a system where your characters gain levels as they progress, increasing their stats and abilities as they go."

"A bit like how people can train their quirks to get stronger and train new abilities?"

"Yeah, not a bad comparison. The way that hands guy was talking, he was treating All Might like an RPG final boss. Which didn't quite go to plan."

"That seems like a very… simplistic approach." Izuku was already muttering to himself, notebook in hand. "I'm assuming this is normally group based?"  
"Usually yeah, called a party in games, typically involving a mix of healer, tank, DPS…"

"I think I might need a list of these terms…"

It was evening when the couple emerged above ground again. Himiko had ended up taking a nap for most of the time they had been down there, all while Izuku and Byte had talked probably non stop; the notebook he was clutching looked rather heavily used already and probably full of more detail than he really needed.

"Have fun geeking out for the day?" she asked in a teasing voice, grinning widely at him while unwrapping a lollipop, genuinely happy to see he had perked up.

"I did yeah, it was nice to just, get away from things, even for a few hours," he admitted, "the nightmare is still…" he stopped, her finger pressed against his lips.

"Zuzu, we can't undo what happened, but if you want to do something about him, then you need to be careful. The guy who gave you your quirk, he's not someone to be taken lightly." The look she gave him was a rare serious one, while she didn't like to admit it, All For One scared her on a primal level. While she appreciated what he had done for Izuku, all her instincts said to be careful around him, to kill him before he killed her; but even though she knew that was a fight she didn't stand a chance of winning, she still wanted to see what he looked like when bleeding.

"I know, someone like Tomura is too dangerous to leave running wild. If All For One won't rein him in, we might need to try and influence him somehow…" He descended into muttering as they walked, Himiko letting him get it out of his system while they walked hand in hand, pulling him out the way of others when needed.

"What's that big brain of yours come up with?" she asked, when he fell into a thoughtful silence.

"While they have a lot of pull, probably thanks to All For One's backing, they only got away with two members. While both powerful in their own right, if they had more fighters, even with that Nomu, they would have brought everyone surely. Even if they were convinced they had a hard counter, All Might is that powerful you would want to guarantee you had enough firepower. When I was talking with All For One, he never mentioned his plans, just spoke of his ideals. They want All Might gone because of what he represents, but agreed I had a point when I said it was the system I wanted to change. It also seemed personal, based on their history I think they're going to keep clashing until one is dead for good."

"The point Zuzu?" she smiled and rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb to let him know she wasn't annoyed, just knew he would ramble on for a while if allowed. She needed him to focus right now.

"They will most likely be on the lookout for new recruits, to either restore manpower or go for 'higher level characters'. After they killed a teenager, trainee hero, they will most likely only be able to attract the most dangerous of villains, or any willing to work with them, but might struggle to get the everyday guys we attract. Not everyone wants to kill heroes, most just want a better life." Turning to regard her with a smile, "that's where you come in my dear."

"Me? What do you mean?" she asked, hiding her surprise rather well, or so she thought.

"You're vicious enough to be accepted, check them out and see what they're really up to. If needed, you can warn us if there's anything we need to stop. Or at least if there's anything we need to be worried about."

"Still not sure what you're talking about? Why would they accept me?"  
"Several minor or semi notable thugs have been found dead in the part of the city the agency is based in. This is nothing new, it can be a violent place, but these were all done with a knife, some had blood drained, and all had accepted contracts on me." Izuku listed this all matter of factly, he had freaked out about seeing someone dying yesterday, yet was calmly listing off evidence that she had killed a number of people like it was nothing important. She found his detachment kind of a turn on.

"So if you think I killed all these people, why are you still here?" She was curious now, she was under the impression she had been discrete, yet he had somehow found her secret out.

"It's not just the hero ranks that need cleansing, but all of society. There are those who are too unstable in the country as a whole, heroes and villains alike who need to be helped or removed if needed. You just removed some who would threaten our progress to a better society. Also Broker gave me access to all her data and it wasn't hard to spot the pattern"

"You're... alright with me killing?" She had stopped trying to hide her shock, gaping at him openly. She doubted even the Broker and all her information could have seen that coming.

"No, not really, but some are beyond helping," he replied, sighing and rubbing his face with his free hand.

"And I'm not?" He turned to look at her properly, thankful they were alone on the street now.

"Look at everything you've done for me, you've saved my life, who knows how many times, helped me gain the means to make my dreams come true, you're not as bad as you think Himiko. I couldn't do any of this without you…" He was squeezing her hand in his, his conviction ringing true in his words. He had more than accepted her, he had accepted her world. "I know you guys have been keeping me from the worst of your lives, which I appreciate, but I've been following heroes all my life, I know people die, it happens all the time no matter what the heroes might try to do; they can't save everyone. Seeing it happen so casually to someone who could have been a great hero, so brutally, was sickening I will admit. I'm not as innocent as you think, I know people are going to die, it's a fact of life with quirks." He had to hold back a giggle as he saw Himiko had gone slack jawed.

"You're really ok with all this?" She had to ask, it was too out of left field and she found herself repeating the question.

"Ok with it? No! Not at all! I would rather that no one has to die, I just acknowledge that the likelihood of this being done without people dying is laughable. We will be dealing with dangerous people on both sides of the law, people with powerful quirks, we should at least try to avoid hurting those who don't deserve it."

"You really are full of surprises." She smiled softly, she had underestimated Izuku and his big brain once again.

"Just thinking about it rationally, still scares the shit out of me…" Himiko grinned widely at that.

"Looks like I'm rubbing off on you, as much as you're rubbing off on me," she admitted, grinning and blushing. "I accept blood and death, but before I didn't have something to lose…"

"W-well, we do spend a lot of time together, heck we live together now, it's not surprising we have become so close," matching her blush with one of his own, tugging on her hand. "Speaking, let's go home, it's been a long day. Rolling his eyes and smiling as she squealed in glee, her hyper nature had stopped draining his energy a while back, if anything it was comforting in it's familiarity.

"Why?..." the same skull asked him, staying intact longer than his previous nightmare but with the same accusing stare.

"Because I'm not in a position to stop things like this, but one day, I will be." He knew it was a dream, but the idea felt important to him, the skull smiling before it fell apart reinforced it. "I'm going to change this system for everyone… I need to get stronger!"

He woke with a start, sitting up in bed and gasping, Himiko squeaking as she rolled away in surprise; dropping the knife she had produced from somewhere, when she was awake enough to realise what was happening and that they weren't actually under attack. Wrapping her arms around his chest, she hugged him from behind, resting her head against the back of his neck and making comforting noises and nuzzling her head against him.

"Shush Zuzu, mamma's here," she whispered, glad he seemed to be doing better, but concerned about the nightmares. He might have accepted the death, but it was still bothering him even if he wouldn't openly admit it.

"If we can't do anything about the league, we can at least try to divert them, if we can get it…" Izuku muttered to himself, pausing when he heard her giggling.

"You're coming up with ways to fight your own nightmares, does that brain of yours ever stop?" She smiled, mentally shaking her head at him and tapping his forehead with one finger.

"Well, no, wish it would sometimes," he admitted, rubbing his face in frustration.

"Want me to make you feel better?" He didn't have to see her smirk, her tone of voice told him exactly what she meant.

"Not right now Himiko, in the morning maybe. You can do one thing for me, lay down facing away from me." Unsure what he had planned, she did so, shifting slightly as one of his arms slid under her, the other over her waist and pulling his close against him. He was getting better at initiating physical affection, but asking to spoon without being specific was a nice, if odd, surprise. They settled down to sleep, taking comfort from each others closeness, Izuku managing to go the rest of the night without being disturbed. Himiko decided this was an acceptable compromise, for now.

Izuku woke up again,slowly for a change, finding her sleeping in his arms still, deciding to just take it easy for now. She woke up a little while later, wiggling in his arms as she yawned and stretched, grinning up at him as her butt rubbed against something that was certainly awake this morning. Or if it hadn't been before, it definitely was now as she ground herself against it, gaining a certain satisfaction from getting him worked up so easily.

"Oh Zuzu, I didn't think you'd be so happy to see me!" She giggled, rolling him on his back and pinning him down, grinding against his arousal as he tried to protest but ended up moaning instead. She had thought to tease him more, but the dry humping became mutual very quickly, Himiko smirking down at him as he writhed beneath her, a look of pleading on his face she just found so erotic. Who knew there were more ways to turn her on, than blood. After a few more minutes, he bucked beneath her, letting out the tell tale noises he made when he came and she felt a hot, wet sensation beneath her.

"Good boy, feel better?" she leaned down, still smirking and kissing him as he whispered in appreciation, hands stroking her back. "Well, we had better get on with the day," she declared, turning to get up, but finding herself pulled back against his chest, one hand on the front of her damp underwear and the other going up her top.

"Not yet, you haven't finished," he growled in her ear, biting the lobe hard enough to make her moan while she began rubbing against his hand as it stroked her. She could hear the nerves in his voice, while they trusted each other, they both knew she was easy to set off at times. Her toy wanted to help satisfy her, that was fine, she wanted to see how well she had trained him.

As it turned out, well enough. She should have known Izuku would be a quick study.

"So he's doing better then?" She quickly called the Broker after their shower, leaving him to soak under the hot water for a while longer; once she had made sure they were both clean after their morning adventures. It didn't surprise her that this was the first thing their employer asked, after getting the pleasantries out of the way.

"Yep, seems he was more aware of the fallout of things than we realised. Seeing it done in front of him forced him to admit it, he will be fine. Probably. My feminine wiles will take care of the rest," Himiko declared confidentiality, pouting when she heard laughter from the other end of the phone.

"I'm amazed the poor boy survived your soft touch," came the teasing, "Don't wear him out too much, it's a big week and I would like him to be able to walk around for it."

"Geez 'mum'!" she yelled, blushing and hanging up, cutting off the cyborg's electronic cackling. The older woman still knew how to push her buttons, but she had more important things to focus on. Time to Step up Izuku's training if they were going to get more involved with people like the League.

When she pulled out knives for them to fight with, when locked away in their private training ground, he thought she was joking. He was so convinced he barely caught the sheathed blade and drew it in time to defend himself, unused to wielding the real thing. She had trained him in lightweight imitations, so he would know what to do if attacked by one, but this was the first time he used sharp, bare steel. Seeing her leaping towards him, knife and fangs glinting, triggered his sense of self preservation, just as she had hoped it would when coming up with this new approach.

Several hours later, when he was laid on his back gasping for breath and covered in slowly healing cuts, he knew she really was serious, not to the point of trying to kill him though. Just close enough to force him to adapt quickly and get used to knife fighting, which he thought he had picked up quickly, if nothing else. He had known for a while it was her preferred combat style, but seeing in action was something else entirely.

She had asked about the increased food intake and if it helped, based on his performance today, not only was he getting faster, but managing to last longer against her, so there was something to her theory. Her experience was still leaving him flat on his arse most of the time, but she admitted he was getting better, he grumbled about her doing it on purpose when he saw her gazing at him with desire in her eyes from all the blood. Between his quirk and mainly learning to fight from her, Izuku was fast and could bounce around, combined with experience fighting the various people he had trained and he was shaping up to be a decent fighter. He just needed his own style more than anything.

Though the aim of the training was to be the last resort, as he was still brain over brawns; even with his quirk. If Himiko had her way, he would never be in a position to fight, she didn't think he was well suited to it, but she knew he most likely would at some point. The part of her that wanted to see him covered in blood more often was also rather keen on him getting into more fights. The more she interacted with Izuku, the more she found herself torn in two different directions.

Those concerns would have to wait, they had a job to get sorted, Her Zuzu wanted to talk to Stain and scout out the school at the festival; she was going to make sure that happened. If she had been just a little saner, she might have queried her obsession with him, before it was too late. As it was, she had seen him bloody too often to care about anything except making him happy, the sight and smell of it was beyond addictive to her. She knew he would be perfectly happy as hers, given enough time.


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own My Hero Academia or any of the characters.**

**Izuku gains some more character growth! Or confusion, could be both.**

**We hope you enjoy what we have been cooking up...**

**Chapter 7**

When he woke up from the nightmare this time, it was with less of a jolt than the last few times. He blinked, staring at the ceiling as he managed to avoid jerking upright, looking down at Himiko's sleeping form next to him. She looked peaceful in her sleep, arms and legs wrapped around him and face buried in his bare chest; her hair a tangled mess that fluttered gently from her breathing. It was hard to imagine this was the same person who had 'attacked' him with a knife just a few hours ago and left him bloody and bruised. He had felt her intent to kill, her bloodlust in full force, but she had always pulled short of inflicting real harm.

Though his healing cuts still stung a little, he took it as a sign that the regular blood consumption from the donors was helping take the edge off things for Himiko, as they were shallower than he knew she could have inflicted. Or maybe or was it because it was him, they kissed, cuddled, helped each other get off and were there for each other when struggling; that's what couples did, right? He had never really had a friend, let alone a girlfriend before, he only had tv, manga and stories to base it off. The same went for her and she seemed more confident with what they were doing, as with everything they did, but she seemed happy with where they were going so he was content to follow her lead.

He knew she would make him very aware of any problems, she always did.

Was this love? She was a killer, he knew this, but he also saw a tender side to her that had taken a year to fully draw out. Despite everything that had happened, she had been the first person besides his mother to care for him and had looked after him more than he could ever have asked for this last year. He was stronger, more confident and in a better place, but there was the side of herself she only let him see. A side that had been hurt more times than he could know, discarded by society because of an accident of birth and been left to fend for herself at too young an age..

Much like he had been, he had more physical scars because of all the abuse, but her scars were more mental and buried even deeper than he could guess. Even when regarding him, he had noticed her eyes glazing over sometimes, her cheeks heating up and drool pooling at the edge of her mouth. He had seen that same look when things had got out of hand at training, blood had been drawn and she had been pulled back to avoid further injury.

It should scare him, but in a way it felt like he was safe from her. Mostly. No matter what had happened to them, she had always got his back, guided him through a world he hadn't even known existed, while he knew her motives had started out selfish, she had gone further than he would have imagined for his sake. From what he had seen, she had certainly calmed down in the time since they had met. He would admit that he had lost some of his calm and shyness in that time as well, but that was a good thing surely. He had changed to fit his new environment better than he could have dreamed, but that was mostly having her as a safety net. The same awkward nerd was still there, just with a reason to be more confident in himself. Didn't mean he was beyond slipping up or falling back into old habits, just that his new surroundings in a way helped him avoid it by keeping him busy.

He had come so far, all based off his notes and others with the power and money to let him lose and find out what happened, without having to worry about losses. In a way he could see the similarities between himself and this Shigaraki guy from the League, both had powerful backers who were willing to let them live and learn. The major difference was why they were doing it, one to tear down society, the other to improve it...

"I can hear your brain from here," the sleepy comment made him jump, Himiko giggling at his reaction, sleepily nuzzling into his chest before fixing him with a concerned stare. "Nightmare bothering you again?"

"Not so much, just… thinking." He admitted, rubbing her back, the motion shifting her enough that her hair fell over her face, smiling as she blew her it away in irritation. She wiggled her way up his body, so her head was nuzzled into his neck; wrapping herself around him again and purring in content.

"Come on Zuzu, I know you well enough to spot when something is bothering you," she whispered softly, resting against him while he put his arms around her.

"I'm just thinking how I got here, sometimes I just feel like I'm along for the ride." He sighed, shifting slightly to get comfortable again.

"Maybe at first," she admitted, she knew him the best out of their circle of associates, that he was still alive, let alone relatively sane, was probably more to do with her efforts than his, but she was still proud of him in a way. "But not anymore, you're drawing more and more people to you, you have drive, goals, ambitions, even if you won't tell me all of them…" she teased, poking his cheek and grinning.

"I just… want to make things better for as many people as I can, which will be a long time coming…" he signed again, rubbing her back. "I'm starting to think that's impossible, every step I take three more appear. I don't know if I am ever gonna be finished, and I wonder what I'm doing here, if anything at all…" His next comment was stopped by her hand clamping over his mouth.

"Zuzu, we helped, but what you have done, that's all you. You built on what we already had going to push all of us up because of it. Don't you dare start questioning yourself now!" She paused for a moment, eyeing the nearly healed cuts. "Is it about the training as well?" she whispered softly. He paused for a moment, her hand still clamped over his mouth, before hesitantly nodding. She sighed and rested her forehead against his cheek, taking a few seconds before continuing. "You shouldn't let me lead so much Zuzu, I will more than likely lead us to bad places if you let me. Seeing you all worked up when we get intimate and you get all flustered, it's a good substitute for seeing you covered in blood, but it's not the same. If you don't stop me, you will end up covered in blood and we both know this. You're doing well for yourself, have more confidence, take charge, don't just let me get away with whatever I want; we both know I can be a brat at times."

"Himiko…" he started, pulling her hand away so he could speak again. "You're the most confident person I know, I might have gotten swept up in it as I still feel like the worthless kid I've been told I am all my life. But you're right, I've been letting you take the lead too much, neither of us has any experience on this and we have clearly been reading different genres of manga…" He blinked, a memory coming to him. "This weekend we are off for a proper date, I wanted to take you on one sooner, but things spiraled fast…" He had an idea for the blood thing, but would leave it as a surprise, for now.

"You don't give up on people huh," she sighed, smiling, "it's no wonder more and more people are willing to follow you. It could be the death of you one day."

"I think I just offer them a chance to help themselves, which no one else seems to have done for a long time. Would it be an idea to up your blood intake and see if that keeps it in check?" He was slurring his words now, drowsiness creeping in as he drifted off to sleep. Himiko waited a while longer, making sure he really had relaxed enough to finally doze off, before letting herself join him.

When he woke up the next morning, he was alone in bed and could hear the shower running. Thinking to himself about last night and other conversations, he had to agree with Himiko, he had gone along with things for the most part, the majority of his actions had been to help others, but had barely done anything for himself. Probably why they had forced this flat on him, now he thought about it. Letting himself be distracted by everything he wanted to achieve was slowing him down.

_Right, be more proactive, got work to get on with today, the festival to get ready for, can't just rely on others to solve everything for me anymore_, he thought to himself as he got up. Making his way to the kitchen, he quickly whipped up some breakfast and devoured his portion. Hearing the shower turn off, he surprised Himiko, with a kiss, as she came out, before pushing her towards the kitchen, telling her breakfast was waiting and heading into the shower. The dazed grin on her face was a bit of an ego boost, taking the initiative could be more fun than he realised.

Once he had showered and dressed, he bid farewell to her - she had her own things to do today while he was in the office - giving her a kiss as they parted and grinning in amusement at how easily she got flustered when he initiated things. On the way to the new office, he touched base with the Broker, seeing how things had been going in the few days he had dropped out of touch. After exchanging pleasantries, he asked the question he most dreaded.

"What exactly has gone on? No news might be good news, or at least nothing bad?"

"It could be worse, they found the access point we had planted in the school, then did a sweep of other government and hero related buildings to make sure it wasn't part of some massive breach." Came the reply, pausing briefly before carrying on. "I had sent someone in to try and grab the one we placed in the blood bank, but we found out about it too late and we had to let the police find it."

"Shit!" Izuku swore, uncharacteristically verbalising it, but this could come back to bite them. "Have they made any links between the two?"

"As far as I can find out, they believe it was separate groups using similar methods; they can't find a link between a single person or group wanting to hack both locations. I made sure to use vastly different models for each one, just in case, which looks to have worked. They are looking into the blood truck robbery again, but so far as a separate investigation from the school."

"Ok, if they can't link them, then that's not so bad, as you said could be worse..." He rubbed his eyes, quickly calculating the fallout. "Has anything else happened?"

"Not a thing, been a lot of chatter, but otherwise things have gone quiet. Everyone is looking for leads, but the ones they're after are all laying low. They kicked up a hornets nest and things haven't calmed back down again.

"Alright, that's something, no more trouble might help. If they don't know the plan, then I shouldn't be surprised they can't find the link, they don't know who we are yet. Ah, sorry, I need to go, just getting to work, I will be in touch!"

The Broker worked with the guy who had come up with the plan and even she couldn't follow the logic he did, beyond it helped out those closest to him with some complicated endgame in mind. She knew his declared end goal was to change society for the better, but what that involved exactly was still something of a mystery. Without knowing that, it looked entirely random, or at least that was the conclusion the investigation had come to.

While they didn't need that link anymore, beyond for updated donors, Izuku still took it as another blow against what he might almost call his pride. They had all the data they needed to continue with their side business, it was up and running successfully, but it was another thing that had gone wrong because of the sudden emergence of the League. While the link between the two events hadn't been made, they would still have to be careful attempting that kind of infiltration again, in case someone started getting suspicious.

Everything else was running smoothly besides that, but things wouldn't be as easy now, with the heroes on high alert with the new threat. They hadn't been looking for the spotlight, not yet at least, so it suited them to continue working in the shadows and leave the League to steal the show. As long as they didn't get too destructive, they could be left to carry on for now, until the League's plan became more clear.

It certainly gave him more to think about, if nothing else.

When he walked in the front door, trying to make sure he looked presentable, he was trying to keep his nerves under control. He shouldn't be nervous, he had spent the last year associating with a wide variety of people with dubious background and was currently living with/dating/they were still trying to figure it out with a known killer. This was probably going to be the most average event in that whole time and he was already fretting, exchanging greetings with the receptionist as he headed for his office.

If the ever evolving plan was to work, he needed Doi on board, but this could just as easily backfire on them. While he had respect for her abilities, from what he had seen, he knew her quirkless nature might be an issue given their line of work, and that she could be using them as a pay and career boost, but he had also come up with a possible way to help get her onboard.

He had a bit of time, Face would be giving her the introduction meeting, before Izuku was due to take over, so quickly made sure his files were up to date. As well as fending off the odd curious comment from his coworkers who popped their head in, wanting to know more about this mysterious new hire and check in on him. Given that she would be helping with the day to day running of the business, it was obvious why they would be so curious, but he did wish they would wait and not keep bothering him about it. They had been told he was ill the previous week to explain his absence, so he couldn't fault them for seeing how he was, and while he had worked closely with a lot of them over the previous months, he hadn't expected them to get so attached to him.

When it came time for him to take over, he made his way up to the bosses office, knocking and entering when he heard a response. Face and Doi were just finishing up the paperwork and chatting, the older man smiling and waving Izuku in,when he peeked his head around the door.

"Ah Midoriya, come in, I was just telling our new team member here about the quirkless initiative we spoke about launching. It is your grand scheme, who better to go over it!" Izuku managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes, Face was a great guy, they got on well enough, he just needed to tone down the weird buzzwords he had a habit of latching onto and using to death.

"Yes, while I will applaud any scheme that helps the quirkless, I'm not quite sure what the overall aim is, nor how it fits in with your core business of quirk analysis?" Doi queried, looking more than a little confused. Face had clearly got carried away and over excited, while doing a poor job of explaining. Not to worry, it was the green haired teen's idea, so he would do a better job with that.

"We are working on the wider acceptance and use of quirks in day to day life, helping people use their quirk as well as applying for the licence. Currently the only group freely allowed to use their quirk in public are heroes, but some industries, like construction for example, can get on the job licences. These limit quirk usage to certain locations, but can help in a lot of ways. Our aim with the quirk analysis is to help identify quirks, potential uses and applications and try to get them put into use." He could see understanding light up in her eyes, no one else was doing this, it was a niche of their own creating. "Open quirk use will never be a thing, it will bring too much chaos, but we also have plans for dedicated centres for people to come and use their quirk, to blow off a little steam as it were. There are a number of people who end up being labeled as villains, simply because suppressing their quirk does not work."

"That's all very admirable, and I imagine lucrative, but where does the issue of quirkless people fit in?" Doi raised the point without prompting, Izuku couldn't have asked for a better partner for his little speech.

"The end goal is not just to enable wider quirk usage to help reduce pressure on society there, but to raise up everyone. Which is why we are opening up quirkless scholarships, to pick them up when life kicks them down. Encouraging businesses to sign up to a policy we are implementing, to base hiring on their merits and not their quirk or lack of. Much like managers who unconsciously bias themselves towards hiring people with similar interests, the same applies to quirks. If we can get enough momentum, we plan to try and get some politicians on side and introduce it as a bill."

Doi was hastily scribbling away in a notebook she had produced, the grin on her face was encouraging, but he made a note to check back on what the hell Face and her had been talking about; this was meant to have at least been referred to so she knew the plan.

"I did mention about our generous donors, as we are funnelling all our profits into not for profit ventures, the people backing us are very keen to see social change for the less fortunate in society. That initial money, plus the money from Midoriya's teams, have allowed us to expand fast." Face took over, as this was more his speed. "As a starting point, we have already acquired a number of social housing developments, to rent out. Combined with our quirk training, we are also adding in general workplace training, to assist as many as we can."

"Making use of grants for charitable organisations who offer such services I imagine as well?" Doi asked. "While your profit making numbers are healthy, or so I understood from what I saw earlier, putting them all into such activities must consume a lot of time and resources."

"Which is why we brought you in, the most qualified person to oversee our expansion and make sure we have the capital and resources to meet the social improvement programs we wish to enact." The Face grinned, sitting back in his chair and looking rather pleased with himself. They didn't mention that a lot of those donations and funds were laundered from criminal activities. Izuku had more money than he knew what to do with, a lot of the expansion had been funded by him via donations, that all looked perfectly legal on paper and would stand up to scrutiny.

As far as the law was concerned, the company was a result of a ground swell of popular support to help those left behind by an increasingly hero focused society. That they were also profiting off the heroes that came to them for suggestions was a nice touch. If Doi ever found out the background operations, she might turn them over to the heroes before they were ready. As they needed the company to appear as above board as possible it would be ideal to keep things as separate as possible.

"Society focuses too much on strong quirks, believing them to be the only thing that matters, especially with the importance of heroes and villains today. We simply seek to redress the balance. And I get to research quirks all day so win win..." Izuku admitted, coughing in embarrassment as the other two grinned in amusement.

"I see, this certainly is a massive undertaking, you've built up a nice little empire over the last couple of years, but I do understand why you've brought me in." Finishing her notes and putting them away for now, Doi straightened up in her chair.

"Best person we could find," Face grinned, gesturing to the pair of them. "Might as well give her the tour, as your department is our core team." Izuku took the hint and stood, Doi with him, before swiftly departing to avoid their boss going off on another publicity reel.

"He certainly is enthusiastic?" She hazarded when they were out of ear shot, Izuku grinned and scratched his hair while thinking of the polite way to put it.

"He likes being our public face, the official representative of the company, and he has done well for us. Though he can get a little carried away…" He admitted the last part a little quieter, just catching the corners of her mouth twitching upwards with amusement.

"So what can you tell me about your department? She asked, following him down to his 'domain', for want of a better word. As they went, he explained how it was all set up. Between the offices, there were several teams working on different types of quirk as well as in shifts. He was effectively a roaming overseer, not exactly management, more the guy they called in when stuck with a particular problem, but also to help train the teams up.

When she asked about the training, he made a quick detour to his office and the mounds of files therein, showing her a few of the case studies he had done personally and how he set them as a combination of puzzle and test, to keep the other analysts on their toes as well as to encourage more experimental ways of approaching problems. Over the last year, with more and more joining the various teams, it had become less based purely on his work and more on what the teams could come up with between them all; swapping cases between the teams became almost a competition which helped drive everything forwards.

When not helping actual customers, then they were spitballing between them, taking a random job, or sector, then thinking of how different types of quirks could be used to improve or assist. When asked how that fitted into his idea about prohibiting discrimination based on quirklessness, he told her the aim was to use quirks to assist with jobs that couldn't be done without them, but the vast majority of jobs would still be done without quirks and were fair game. Even some jobs would benefit from having someone quirkless doing them, he used himself as an example, he wasn't limited by the ideas of what his quirk could be, as he didn't have one, so could come up with applications that quirk users themselves couldn't do. He wanted everyone who was capable to have a fair shot in life, not having people hired for jobs they couldn't do.

After introducing her to the various managers and teams, then grabbing a quick bite for lunch in the cafeteria, Izuku left her with the admin team she was loosely overseeing, smiling to himself as he watched her jump straight in. Seems she was on board with the goal of the company, it certainly cheered him up seeing someone else embrace his vision so readily. Maybe it was because they were both examples of what could be done given the right chances.

He retired to his office, fielding questions more about what the company was gearing up for, to which he told them to wait for the announcement, before locking himself away with his work.

He got so carried away, Doi was the one to bring him back to reality, surprised he was there an hour after normal hours and still working away. He stammered out about how he sometimes gets carried away, before wrapping things up and departing for the day together, heading opposite ways to get home, Doi bowing to him and thanking him for this opportunity; actually smiling for the first time since he had met her.

Seems she had been wary about the job at first, but now understood why they had wanted her for the position. Or rather why Izuku did, he had seen her drive and wanted it working for him, let loose she could perform wonders and he looked forward to seeing them.

On his way home, he first called Toga, telling her he would be late back, as he wanted to drop by the Broker's place first. His second call was to her, making sure she was actually free for him to visit, wanting to meet earlier than originally planned. He knew some of her clients wouldn't take kindly to being disturbed, or even just the presence of a kid, disguised behind his costume as he usually was wouldn't help him there.

She agreed to meet him, but asked him to drop by an hour later, as she had another guest, so he killed time at a noodle stand, grabbing dinner while browsing the news on his phone. He smiled to himself, without knowing his background, he probably looked like any normal office worker, eating dinner after a late day at the office before heading home. If only things were that simple.

When it was time, thankfully before his battery ran out, he took a circular route to her place, feeling a little paranoid but unsure why. Probably everything going on making him nervous, but never hurts to be cautious. When he did make it there, he swiped a spare phone charger, messaged Himiko to update her, before leaving it off to one side while sitting down with the cyborg.

"It's not often you arrange meetings at such short notice, something come up?" She queried. If he didn't know better he would swear there was concern in her eyes as she stared at him across the table. "What did Toga do?" He blinked, caught off guard at the question, after a few seconds he had to admit it wasn't unfair; she did have something of a reputation and he wouldn't be surprised if there was a betting pool on how long before he got stabbed badly by her.

"She actually helped me see I've been wasting my time lately. Or rather, not making the best use of it." He eventually replied, hiding a smile when he saw the Broker was caught off guard by that. "I've been too passive lately, letting her take the lead, not pushing as much with our business; even with the public company I've been idle as well. I was so unprepared for any other group stepping up that it completely derailed me for the better part of a week. So I came to ask a favour, can you put me in touch with Stain?" He had rested his elbows on the table between them, chin resting on his clasped hands and regarding her with a stare so intense, she remembered months back when she last saw it.

His backer stared at him for several minutes, he could almost hear the cogs whirring in her brain, before she burst out laughing. She was so distracted she forgot to point out the League's grand reveal had been particularly brutal, but the twists and turns the conversation were taking, it really threw her out.

"So let me get this straight, you think you've been slacking, so your first thought is to get in touch with the hero killer? The guy who's killed or injured dozens of heroes and villains alike? What on earth could you want to talk to him about?"

"The easiest way to gain widespread support is with a popular idea to rally around. Stain has that. He kills heroes but still has popular support because he targets the ones who have strayed from the ideal, as well as villains. Ones who are in it for the fame and the money, or just abuse their power, he seeks to remove them so the ones in it to help people can flourish." He explained, leaning in as he got more energetic. "If we can get him on board, we can use him as a physical rallying point, if more people want to take down fake heroes, then it means more business for us and advances my end goal."

"You know, you keep going all over the place with your end goal, first it was to help the mistreated, now you're talking about taking down fake heroes. What exactly is your end goal? As you say, you have been a little all over the place at times."

He spent over an hour laying it all out for her, the steps, the end goal, what he wanted to achieve with it all. He only told her as he knew without her support it wouldn't go anywhere, he simply didn't have the pull. When he had finished, she spent several minutes processing it all.

When he had come to her this evening, a sudden ramping up was the last thing she was expecting, but this was something else beyond even that.

"Kid, if you can pull off this plan, this grand scheme of yours, they will come for you and will never stop until you're locked away or buried. Getting the people you will need to join will be hard, but you have worked wonders so far." She shrugged, or at least that's what he thought she did, with all the cabling plugged into her skull it was hard to tell sometimes. "I will set this meeting up with Stain, but I would recommend taking at least one person with you. Might also check that Toga hasn't run your little group into the ground while you've been recovering."

"I'm sure she hasn't…" he paused, remembering who they were talking about, "I'll get on that tomorrow… There's another person I would like to get in touch with, who does an online video series, called Gentle Criminal. Do you think you would be able to get in touch with him as well?"

"Him? He's a nuisance more than anything, but shouldn't be too hard to track down, got some help since he started, but nothing compared to me." She grinned, her abilities beyond questioning, even without the threat of her wrath if he joked about it. Having an expert hacker on your side, who literally lived in the system, certainly had its uses.

They caught up on other business while he was there, until the Broker's next appointment, which prevented them going all night hammering out the details of his plans. Her employees were particularly glad about that one; their boss didn't sleep much these days and they did not want others getting roped into her late night antics.

Making his way back home, he stopped by the store to grab some sweets for Himiko, to make up for being so late back. Which mostly worked, though she also demanded cuddles with such a cute pout he couldn't say no; not that he wanted to, he had gotten too used to her physical affection to turn it down now. This led to them sitting on the sofa, with her in his lap munching on her treat, watching some random film they had no clue as to what was going on. Just for the sake of some peaceful time cuddling, she was oddly tired, but he was glad for the quiet time together.

Even when he had to carry her to bed when she fell asleep on him, she was too cute for her own good at times.

The following day, work progressed much the same as before. He finalized the details for the teams attending the sports festival, assigning five other teams as well as his, at two teams per year group. To take advantage of the potential business they could drum up, he wanted one team watching the events and taking notes, while the other joined in on the networking.

Doi was initially confused about her invite, but when he told her about the networking potential, she leapt at the chance. Turns out putting faith in your employees/coworkers had its benefits, especially when said person had rarely received it before. She also looked to be getting to grips with things fast, which took some things off his plate, though he couldn't wait to see how Face took it all.

He also had a glance at a news article he got sent by his worried mom, something about more deaths in the part of the city the smaller office was based in. It was being written off as groups of villains fighting over turf, with increased hero patrols being assigned, so he made a note, but wrote it off for now.

Anything that was beyond his means to escape from, would attract hero attention, which was against the stealthy MO displayed so far. Maybe he was being a little over confident in his growing abilities, but he did go toe to toe with a villain on a regular basis for a reason.

After work he picked Toga up and headed for one of their group training grounds, having messaged Sky and Battery to meet them there when they could. Izuku also got the message he had been waiting for from the Broker, Stain was interested and had arranged to meet on Friday evening. That was hopefully the hard part out of the way, but he had no idea until he actually met the man; having nothing but reports to work off for now.

If the hero killer was like how Izuku calculated, then it shouldn't be too hard a sell. Hopefully.

Battery was the first one to arrive, smiling and noticeably glad to see Izuku again, greeting him as 'boss man' to the teen's amusement. Sky wasn't far behind, just as happy, to see him again, but letting it show more. Turns out Toga had got them to keep things going for the time he was out of it, but not actually said what had happened, leading them to worry. All for nothing in the end, but they were relieved to have him back.

Turns out Toga and her antics worried them a little at times, when they admitted they preferred him in charge, it made him laugh and her pout. Pulling her back by her shirt collar before she could grab Battery and demand answers, he waited until she had settled into grumbles about being teased, before he moved on.

When he explained what had happened at the USJ and his involvement, Sky was pale and Battery actively flinched. They might be more used to this life than he was, but the only one who had seen someone die, let alone kill anyone, in their little quartet, was Toga. Who was taking great pleasure in their discomfort, though she was at least being subtle so only Izuku picked up on her smugness. He kept it vague as to exactly what had happened, even the press hadn't made many details known, but they could still see how it had affected him. They were aware of how a student had died in the attack, but the Nomu came as a shock.

While it put them off slightly that Toga didn't seem bothered in the slightest, almost looked to be grinning at the memory, but she was an odd girl who they had never seen flap once. Besides, they trusted their boss enough to overlook her more violent tendencies.

That was until Izuku told them he had other news, that it would be easier to tell them rather than skip around, grabbing her arm and pulling Toga into a long, deep kiss, which left her mumbling nonsense words to herself in excitement.

"Any questions?" he asked, letting go of her, she fell over squealing in happiness and laid on the floor; much to his confusion.

"Just one: does that count as you beating her in a fight?" Sky just had to ask, when she stopped laughing.


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own My Hero Academia or any of the characters.**

**A meeting with a certain villain goes about as well as could be expected and the team bond further, in their own ways.**

**We hope you enjoy what we have been cooking up...**

**Chapter 8**

When the day of the arranged meeting arrived, Izuku was as ready as he thought he could be, given he was largely going in blind. He had gone over what information they had about the Hero Killer several times, but it still didn't get around the fact he was a dangerous man who had killed or crippled dozens of pro heroes. They weren't even entirely sure of what his quirk was, beyond it somehow paralyzed his victims.

He arranged with Battery to join him for the meeting with Stain, while Toga was still out on her mission. She might be the best fighter he could call upon, but he had also heard how she talked about the vigilante and wasn't sure she wouldn't try to stab the guy. Which would not make for good business, let alone as an initial meeting. He did at least warn Battery beforehand what they would be walking into, in case he wanted to back out, but he was happier with the idea of being there than not.

Thankfully the rest of the week had gone smoothly. The league had vanished off the radar since the USJ incident, managing to remain at large despite the massive manhunt for them after the death of a teenage hero in training at their hands. UA was still upping their security, while determined to go ahead with the sports festival to show that they were not scared off by the attack.

He even asked the Broker to set up a list for him, of groups that might help them, but also ones to avoid. He needed to know who was active and where, if he wanted to limit being blindsided again. Knowing potential allies might be useful down the line as well. Toga was off with her own mission, he only had some details, something about a Giran guy wanting to talk to her about a possible job. It kept her out the way Friday, when he met up with Battery, both in their costumes, and headed for the warehouse they had been given the address of from Stain.

The door was unlocked, when they stepped in they saw a table with a couple of chairs, located in a pool of light in the middle of the building. The rest was in darkness, apparently the paranoid types had to be dramatic.

He blinked, catching a glint from the other side of the space, brain kicking into overdrive and reflexes following suit, as he kicked off Battery, sending them tumbling away from each other as a knife embedded itself in the door. He was still getting used to his quirk and the advantages it now offered him, but he had a feeling that without it he would have been hit. Judging by the position in the door, it looked like it was meant to wing him at least, if it was to test or incapacitate he hoped he would find out shortly.

"Interesting, a villain that helps his comrade when under attack, such an unusual case," a voice in the darkness growled, before a figure, that Izuku assumed to be Stain, stepped into the light. Looking like a battered ninja and sporting an array of blades, Izuku knew this was the real deal in terms of threat; the man could have killed him without warning if he wanted to.

"I'm not exactly a villain," Izuku sighed, doing everything in his power not to flinch and keep his voice steady. Dusting himself off as he stood, Battery following suit warily, electricity sparking softly on his gauntlets as he powered up, pausing at a glance from his boss.

"Oh, then you claim to be a hero?" Stain asked, titling his head to the side as he studied the pair, another knife dancing between the fingers of one hand.

"I claim to be neither, but someone who wants to see this corrupt society change for the better!" Izuku didn't quite feel as bold as he sounded when declaring this, taking a heavy step forward to hide just how close he was to fleeing. He knew Stain was dangerous, but having never been toyed with before by an obviously superior opponent, all he had left to him was to carry on as he had planned and throw everything he had into this.

"Oh, a true believer? What makes you say that?"  
"If I may?" Izuku indicated the clasps that kept the upper half of his costume in place, Stain paused for a moment before nodding and he started undoing the clips as he joined the vigilante in the pool of light. Both Battery and Stain were curious what he was up to, but even the hardened fighter couldn't stop his eyes widening in surprise as Izuku bared his torso for them both to see. Tossing the discarded garment onto the back of one of the chairs, he held his arms wide and turned around slowly for full affect.

He was used to his scars, as was Toga, but seeing them for the first time would throw even the most hardened viewer. From the look and sound of him, this Quirk Coach guy couldn't be more than a teenager, as far as Stain could work out. Yet his upper body was covered in a network of scars, all old cuts and burns, a number in the shape of a hand. How someone this young could wind up like that, it both intrigued and enraged him.

"How did you come by those scars?" He asked quietly, more than a little impressed by this kid not only for the abuse he had clearly survived, but the willingness to leave himself open to a known killer to make his point. If they came from where he suspected...

"There was a kid I went to school with, same year, he has an explosion quirk. The teachers and parents told him he would make a fine hero with such a strong quirk, so he quickly became arrogant and looked down on everyone. This is his handiwork over the ten years since he got his quirk, using me as a punching bag, an example to others to 'know their place'. He's now a member of UA's hero course, as his exploits like this were covered up to fast track him and make a name for the school we went to." Izuku even went one step further, unlocking his helmet and setting it on the table, staring into Stains eyes with a look that burned bright; with both, suppressed fury and belief. His nerves were calm now, the fury and pain of his life surging through his mind and forcing him onwards Those unknown nudges from his backers potentially saving his life as he stared the vigilante down.

"You really are a believer…" Stain said in wonder, grinning and relaxing for the first time since they had entered. "That still doesn't tell me what you wanted this meeting for?"

"Simple, I would like to help." Izuku told him, pulling a tablet out of his jacket and sliding it across the table to Stain, silently thankful he hadn't fumbled it with how much his hands felt like shaking. "That has complete access to my database, I assume you know of my work?"  
"Yeah, your quirk database, I know a number of people who pay good money for the advantage it gives them…" Stain smiled widely, checking it was legit, eyes widening as he realised what he had just been given. "What do you want in return? We might share the same ideals, but I know your business, that stuff doesn't come cheap."

"I want nothing, but for you to use this information to further your goals. Maybe let it be known that we have teamed up, but what I want is an assault on multiple fronts. We are the group behind the spate of robberies on hero companies sponsored goods, the fake heroes who are in it for the money. We are the ones sabotaging public events of glory hound heroes. But there's only so much we can do and we are not exactly fighters, so we would like to offer information and funding to you, as well as anyone else who will fight against the injustice in society. You inspire others, we want to see that grow, knowing that you have notorious supporters willing to assist will only help our cause. I want to make what happened to me, as well as the system that caused it, a thing of the past and return to the golden age we had when heroes worked to help people and not make money."

Izuku was locked in a battle of wills with Stain at this point, both staring each other down while Battery edged back a few steps. The teen was a great guy, with some hidden darkness, he was dating Toga so there was something wrong with him deep down, but he was mad enough to get this worked up around someone that might make even her look safe by comparison. He could have sworn an aura surrounded the pair, the very air around them rippling.

"Deal." Stain grinned, holding a hand out, Izuku shaking it when he got over his surprise, returning the smile. Battery let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. Looks like they weren't going to die yet.

"That tablet has a way to get in touch if needed, or if you need funds to assist with your next targets. I don't need to know who you plan to target, but you have full access to the database so can research to your heart's content."

The conversation was as good as over after that, Stain wanting to test out what he had been offered and the duo wanted to get out while things were on a good note. After Izuku got dressed of course. Turned out Stain was less hostile when he considered you part of his crusade, even if he had a feeling the teen wanted to use him, it was too good a deal to pass up. He quickly came up with several ways to take down his next few targets that he wouldn't have known to do without this kid's help.

Izuku on the other hand, waited until they got back to their closest hideout, made sure the door was locked and that they couldn't see anyone having followed them. As soon as he was certain they were safe, he bent over and threw up, barely getting his helmet off before vomiting on the floor. He coughed and made sure he had finished, before collapsing backwards to the ground and fighting to avoid another panic attack. While it went as well it could have done, it was the single most terrifying experience of his life and he was glad it was over. He just hoped it would be easier working with the vigilante going forwards; but would not be too put out if they didn't meet in person again.

"Fuck that was…" He couldn't even finish, palms of his hands pressed against his eyes, trying to focus on his breathing.

"Hey, boss, you alright?" Izuku felt Battery grip his shoulder, concern in his voice.

"Just breathe with me, need to focus…" He gasped out, hearing slow, deep breaths and trying to match them. He didn't know how long he laid on the floor, just trying to breath, but eventually he felt himself calm down enough to sit up. Wiping tears from his eyes, not even realising he had been crying, he took a few moments to compose himself, thankful that Battery was being patient with him, while trying to avoid treating him like a kid despite his current state.

"Let's get you cleaned boss man," he said, lifting Izuku to his feet, using his power to burn away the puddle of vomit, before carrying the teen to the makeshift wash area they included in each of the training locations. Retrieving a change of clothes that had been stashed here early, they both packed away their costumes, then had a quick shower before getting dressed again and sitting down together.

"I'm guessing you have questions?" Izuku queried, not sure what to expect of Battery now. They got on, but taking care of Izuku when he was a mess, well it was becoming something of a trend with his friendship circle.

"I've not really cared much for what your plan was. I was some guy before you came alone, now you've made me into something and I'm more than I could ever be," he started, pausing as he decided how best to continue, before doing so. "Now what the absolute hell was that! If Stain had killed you and I had survived, Toga would have gutted me like a fish! What are you after that requires messing with someone like that?"

"Ah, she's not all that bad when you get to know her," Izuku sighed, rubbing his eyes again. The stress of the last couple of hours was catching up with him hard, but he needed to have this chat now, while things were still fresh. "As for Stain, well, let me tell you what the end goal is…"

"You're insane." Battery said, looking at Izuku in astonishment when he had finished explaining the overall plan. "You can't be serious, thinking they will let you pull that off…"

"It's why we need people like Stain, at least for now, as a rallying point of sorts. He goes too far with things, but his ideology is sound. The heroes and villain groups have their unifying ideal or goal, we need one if we are going to muster the support we need to grow."

"Hmm," Battery murmured to himself, before pulling back and slugging Izuku across the face, knocking the younger male from his chair. "You idiot! Sky, maybe Scale Fist, and me are meant to be your right hand people, yet you want to start all this, with all those different people, without even asking if we were fine with it?"

"I… you're right," Izuku admitted from the floor, rubbing his jaw before bursting into laughter. "I can't seem to find the middle ground on anything, it's too little or too much." He got down on all fours, pressing his forehead to the cool, rough floor. "I am sorry for dragging you into things without asking if you were alright with the direction I wanted to take us."

"Boss man, Izuku, get up," Izuku raised his head, Battery crouched in front of him and offering a hand to help him up. "You gave me more than I could ever ask for, how can I bail on you now without repaying your faith and kindness? I would talk to Sky though, she might not be as up for a fight, Scaly will be more than happy I imagine."

"Izuku?" the green haired teen asked, surprised at the use of his name so casually.

"If we are gonna be taking on everyone you think we need to, we might as well not bother with the formalities," the electric quirk user said, waving off any complaints and grinning widely at him. "I must be insane to be following you, but you have made us all better for knowing you, who knows where your limit is. Could be fun finding out." He held out one hand for Izuku to shake.

"Alright… Rai, welcome aboard." Taking the offered hand and shaking it was a small gesture, but felt like it carried more weight.

"Glad to be on board, just warn me before you do something that stupid again will you?"

"You've met my girlfriend, no promises there…"

When he eventually dragged himself home, after getting some food with Rai and sitting down to chat. He had known the man for most of a year, yet beyond being four years older than Izuku, everything about his quirk and how willing the guy was to help out; he realised he didn't know much about the guy. Turned out that thanks to his quirk, a lot of electrical hobbies were a no go, as he would fry the device in a short space of time from his body unconsciously sucking up power, instead he read a lot of books,

A font of random knowledge didn't quite do him justice, he was happy to read anything going, which included a lot of reference books. Something about trying to better himself mentally, as he never expected his quirk to amount to much. Izuku was pleasantly surprised to find a powerful mind behind the laid back persona, having another voice offering advice couldn't hurt.

When he made it back to the flat, he was surprised to find it dark and empty. He kept himself occupied in the office, until he heard a key in the lock just after 11pm. Poking his head though, he caught Himiko as she was locking the door behind her. She stretched, hand laced in the air above her, moaning with relief as he swore he heard joints creaking as her back arched.

Muttering to her, shoulders slumped as she made her way into the apartment, clattering sounds following her as she discarded the various knives hidden on her person. She looked so tired that she didn't care and just wanted to relax.

"Hey, want something to eat, or just go to bed?" He asked softly, gently touching her shoulder. He was thankful he was more awake, his other hand catching her sluggish punch, before she blinked and registered who was there.

"Zuzu? Sleepy…" she mumbled, grabbing his shirt collar and leaning against his chest. Well, more slumping, as he chuckled to himself. Putting her arms around his neck, he lifted her up and carried her to the bed, helping her get undressed and ended up leaving his shirt for her to swear. She was adorable as hell when barely awake and watching her curled up in just his shirt, grinning happily, it was worth it to him.

He did make sure to tidy her knives away before joining her. One of them would probably forget and have an accident in the morning and it was not worth leaving until then. She was fast asleep when he had finished getting ready, curling up around her and pulling her against his chest. She stirred, smiled and nuzzled into him, while he relaxed there with her.

He knew what she was capable of, but right now, with her like this, he didn't care in the slightest.

When he woke up the next morning, she stirred as he woke and clung to him, demanding more cuddles. He gave in easily, laying on his back with her curled up on top of him like a cat. Actually, not a bad comparison, both were a combination of murderous and affectionate. He messaged Sky, asking if she was free to meet for lunch, doing so one handed; the other around Hikimo's shoulders and playing with her hair while she practically purred. He then checked in with the Broker, grinning when he heard the news that his second meeting request had been arranged for the day after the sports festival.

When Sky messaged back saying she was free, he arranged a place nearby a local supermarket, wanting to grab some bits later for the evening. After thinking about it, he also messaged Battery, who confirmed he could make it, updating Sky before tossing his phone aside.

"Come on Himiko, time to get up," he poked her forehead, grinning as she looked up at him and glared.

"If you try to make me, you have to get past Mr Stabby first!" She declared, forgetting one important thing.

"Would that be one of the knives you dropped in the hallway last night?" Her eyes opened in shock at that, sitting up and glancing around the room, noting a lack of sharp pointy objects that usually lived in her clothes. He was already rolling out the way under her as she lunged, trying to pin him down and/or have a nibble; only to hit the pillow as he threw her off.

Ruffling her hair as he passed, he went to drag a shower, coming back out to find she had dozed off again. He did hope she had the day off, as she looked like she needed it.

The smell of cooked food managed to rouse her eventually, staggering in to eat. While she did retrieve some of her weapons, she had lost the interest in using them on him, leaving breakfast thankfully peaceful.

"I'm meeting Sky for lunch, got some things to discuss with her. Oh and talked with Battery last night, he was eventually on board…" Izuku paused at that point, rubbing his jaw, which had mostly healed, but was still tender to the touch. "Any complaints he did have were resolved one way or another."

"I think I've got the lead you wanted, but business is so busy right now," she grumbled in response.

"Well if the festival goes off the way I'm expecting it to, then we will be even busier." When she groaned at that news, he reassured her. "Don't worry, I'm getting more people lined up to help, as well as looking into groups we might be able to absorb or ally with."

"I had best get a break soon, haven't worked this hard, well, ever…" she got to her feet and began making her way to the shower, an arm around her waist pulled her back for a kiss before letting her go. More cheery now, she started humming as she went to get washed and dressed.

Tidying up breakfast didn't take long, neither did checking his messages. Between the Brokers network that he was piggybacking off, as well as the ones he had trained up, keeping things going didn't take much of his time any more.

Maybe that was why he was getting restless now? The League attack had shook things up, showing how comfortable he had gotten with no challenge. This felt like returning to that again. He needed Stain to act, the results of the festival and see how Gentle reacted.

If he could get those pieces in to play and Himiko succeeded in her mission, then things would really start kicking off.

He was interrupted from this muttering when said teen flopped down in his lap, giving him a kiss and curling up again.

"I'm buying you some ears." He mumbled to himself, before moving on. "I will be off soon to meet Sky, remember to be ready for our date tonight, I'll pick you up around six."

"You know that sounds more romantic when you don't know we already sleep together," she poked her tongue out at him, giggling when he blushed at the implication. "I'll be waiting, would prefer you told me what we were doing, but if one of us was gonna lure the other away and kill them quietly, it's not you." She left him with that slightly disturbing thought as she leapt up and walked off, leaving him to get himself ready. Giving her one final kiss on his way out, he began to wonder if screwing with him was ever going to get old for her.

He was the first to arrive, a little hole in the wall place with a booth tucked away at the back that offered them some privacy. He held off ordering for now, waving Sky over when she arrived and making small talk until Battery arrived.

It felt weird, hanging out with them in their normal clothes, in an every day location, last night's talk with Battery had shown just how little they really knew each other. Last night just confirmed to him that they needed to change things if they wanted to take on other groups. Heroes main advantage was unity, they had to match that if they stood a chance. If they had to fight villains, that would be an edge they would desperately need.

"So, I asked you both here to talk. I spoke to Rai a little last night," He gestured to Battery, Sky surprised by the familiar nature between them that hadn't existed last time she saw them.

"After sharing a near death experience, you bond," Rai said, leaving it to Izuku to elaborate.

"Last night we met with Stain and reached… and agreement." Izuku picked up from him, rolling his eyes and leaning close. Pausing while their food was served, he continued between bites. "I want to know what you two want in life? Before I say more, I need to know. The goal I have been working towards, well we are starting to encounter more violence, so it has been suggested I talk it over with you." He looked bashful at that, catching Rai grinning at him.

"Violent? You mean like that the USJ thing? Or worse, if Stain is involved?" Sky was looking nervous, eyes flicking between the other two, wondering what was going on. "I just want the freedom to use my quirk, without having to worry about it. But I get the feeling you want more…"  
"I want a society where this doesn't happen." He took his phone out, opened the photos he had taken of himself in the mirror earlier, then handed it over to her. Rai had seen the scars already, but still flinched, while Sky turned pale. "That was from a hero in training, over a decade long period; most of my childhood. I want to change this system that has failed so many, all of us here. I was abused by someone they want to make a hero. You were denied the freedom to soar in the sky. Rai was dismissed as worthless because no one thought his quirk would amount to much. Toga, well let's just say she got abandoned because no one wanted to deal with her quirk. All of us have fallen through the cracks, we have recruited a number of people who have suffered similar fates, but to stop it happening, we need to do more. Stain will be a rallying banner, he is already popular for his views and while he does go too far for my liking, he's the best option we have right now."

"I've got to be honest boss, I know we have had combat training to defend ourselves, but I didn't sign up for what sounds like a war?" She hesitated before saying this, he wasn't likely to lash out, from experience, but she also hadn't expected him to come out with this.

"I had a feeling that might be your answer, which is why I sat down to ask first. If you want to continue working as part of the group, but carry on the harassment tactics, I would be more than happy for that. If you want out completely, I won't stop you."

"I do enjoy the high speed stuff… You've been good to me, I'm not going to just abandon you all now." She sighed, smiling and sitting back in her seat as they finished off their food.

"Glad to hear, I have a meeting arranged with Gentle, the youtuber who keeps harassing heroes and posting videos of it, this coming week. I think that might be something for you, get him on board and we can start broadcasting our efforts wider." Izuku had lined this up to help their efforts, but also saw it as a chance to keep Sky involved from a safe distance.

"Yeah, that sounds good!" She grinned, he didn't need to check her online history to know she was a fan, with some of the problems they had caused, it had obviously been lifted from one of his videos.

"Well I'm in with whatever boss, I owe you and want to see things change. Good to still be working with you though." The last part directed at Sky, who looked to be finally relaxing after winding herself up about the meeting.

"Alright, for now, maintain what we have built so far. Sky, I will message you with the meeting details so we can arrange that. Maybe also talk to the Broker about any shipments we can disrupt. Battery, we will need some more muscle if we want to expand, can you arrange for the two candidates you had, to meet with us Friday night? If we are going to try changing things, might as well start with our backyard. I have arranged for the Broker to get us a list of the local gangs in the area around our main base. I want you to start looking into either taking over, allying with, or moving them on. No drugs though, drive them out and destroy any labs or dens you find." Izuku was all business now, all three switching from friendly to serious in seconds.

It might have looked odd to an outsider, a teenager giving orders to people several years older than him, but the pair were used to it now. Izuku had done right by them and made sure they were looked after and given chances to shine. Even this simple act, spurred on by Battery as it was, helped solidify their loyalty to him, if not his cause. As many others kept finding, his approach of working with people was earning him a wider loyal following than he realised.

He had effectively put Battery in charge of combat operations and Sky in charge of supply and ambush operations; something he hammered home to them by encouraging them to try out their own ideas. As long as it helped, or at least didn't get in the way of, their end goal.

When they had gone over everything and everyone was happy with the plan for now, they departed, leaving Izuku to cover the bill and finish up things for the evening. They had gotten carried away with talking, it wasn't far off the evening so he had to rush.

After grabbing and preparing the food, rushing home to get ready and pick Himiko up, he whisked them off on a train to the edge of town. Leading her up to a hilltop overlooking the city, he laid out a blanket for them to relax on. Sitting down, enjoying a picnic while watching the city lights some on as the sun set, they just relaxed laid against each other.

"Hmm, as nice as this is, I'm guessing you had a plan, bringing me all the way out here?" She questioned, nuzzling against his chest.

"I wanted this to be something we remembered." He told her, cupping her cheek in one hand and raising her eyes so he could look into them. "You're the most amazing person I've ever met who has pushed me to be more than I ever dreamt of. I've never felt this way before, so wanted to do something special for you…" He stopped there, pulling out a knife and slicing the tip of his left index finger.

He could have sworn her eyes dilated in a way that looked like a shark he had once seen on a documentary, from the second the scent of his blood hit the air. Her eyes were locked to the cut, taking his wrist in her hands as he offered it to her, her tongue running over her fangs as she slowly leaned in and lapped at the open wound.

God damn, the way she moaned, sucking and licking his finger like it was covered in her favourite treat. With the way she sat on him and rubbed against him in pleasure, it was no surprise he was getting hard beneath her; moaning softly and shivering. After a minute or so of this, when he could feel the cut closing, her back arched and she let go of his finger, a trail of drool still connecting them as she shuddered and moaned.

'_Fuck, did I just make her cum through blood? Ok that probably shouldn't be as hot as I'm finding it'_, he thought to himself. Any further thoughts were cut off as she grabbed him and kissed him hard.

"Zuzu," she growled, what he hoped was sexual desire lacing her voice as she tugged at his shirt; not caring as he did the same to hers. She traced kisses over his scars, while he fumbled with her bra, laughing and kissing his lips as he got it off and ran his hands over her boobs. Hands went to her legs, running up her skirt to her ass and pushed her up, covering her shoulders and chest in kisses and love bites. She had barely stopped moaning since drinking his blood and the noises were driving him wild.

He pushed her back on the blanket, kissing her as his hand slid between her legs. He was pretty sure she had cum, was his blood that good? Slipping her panties off and sinking his fingers inside her, he began kissing his way down her body as her back arched again.

Her nipples would probably be sore from the bites he left on them in the morning, but she would love that; the combination of biting and fingering had driven her over the edge again. He eventually found himself laid between her legs, tongue circling her clit for several minutes before gently exploring it; fingers still buried inside her soaked pussy and paying attention to how she reacted. Biting her inner thing, grinning at the moan it got, his tongue dipped to lap as her core.

He had tasted her before, off his fingers after they were done, but this felt more intimate. Running from the base of her opening to the top, taking in her scent and taste, before kissing her clit as she bucked beneath him. Taking the plunge, he pressed closer, parting her lips and probing deeper.

The way her breath hitched, her fingernails pressing into his head, he was doing something right, so kept doing what he was doing. He was greeted not long after, by the sound of his name being screamed, his face pushed as close as possible as she shuddered through her orgasm. He responded by licking even more, her taste, was something he was still getting used to, but weirdly addictive at the same time.

When she had recovered he knelt before her, discarding the rest of his clothes and moving into position before she stopped him.

"Not yet Zuzu, you might have given me your blood, but I'm saving mine for someone I know is mine." He was about to protest, before she began jerking him off, getting on all fours and grinning up at him. "Just cause i won't do that with you yet, doesn't mean I won't return the favour…"

He could swear her tongue was longer than it should be, the way it reached out and stroked the head of his cock, guiding her mouth to him while her hand carried on pumping. She started with nibbling kisses, hand falling to stroke his balls as she took more and more of him between her lips.

She has given him enough handjobs; she had a rough idea how to pleasure him, but took a few minutes for her to get into a rhythm with a blowjob, her tongue was the thing that got him moaning loudest; running it up and down him as she bobbed her head back and forth. She cheekily tried brushing her fangs against him, but a warning growl and the grip he had on her hair stopped her.

She felt it start in his balls, bracing herself even before his hasty warning, taking his load of cum in her mouth. She was also getting used to his taste, but it was her Zuzu so still special for her. When he fell backwards onto the blanket, completely spent, she did something she had seen done in videos that guys apparently sound sexy. Making sure he was looking, she opened her mouth, rolling him cum over her tongue and teeth, before swallowing and sighing happily.

"Not as good as your blood, but it will do in a pinch…" she hummed, crawling to lay on top of him and kissing him. They were that used to each other that the taste of blood and sex in those kisses didn't bother either of them.

"So, saving yourself for someone or something?" he had to ask, when they had got their breathes back.

"I'm a hopeless romantic, I want my first time to be with someone special beyond question. For them to make me bleed…" Izuku decided to leave that trail of conversation, as she was getting shark eyes, but at least had a better idea of her limits. "But this was special, no one has willingly given me their blood, even a little." Sighing and resting on top of him she purred as he stroked her hair and back.

"No one's done any of the things you have for me, I just wanted to show you how much it means to me."

"By trying to ravish innocent little me! Maybe I should do that to you, if the day comes…" The light had all but faded by now, the lights of the city glinting off her fangs as she did her best Cheshire Cat impression.

"Innocent, you? You almost did me in the shower after the blood heist." He snorted, rolling her eyes and clutching her to him as they shivered. Having cooled off, they were beginning to feel the night air. "Best get dressed and head back though, getting too chilly for my liking."

"Guys are usually trying to get me out of my clothes you know." She teased, as she began to get dressed again, yelping as he slapped her bare ass.

"You seemed awfully keen to do that yourself," he grinned, interrupting any protest with a kiss, before pulling his clothes back on as well.

"Girl has to have standards," she sang happily, looping her arm through his when they were ready to head back and letting him lead the way. Both were too worn out to talk much more after that.

She had tasted his blood before and found it unlike any other she had encountered before. Almost drug-like to her, it wouldn't be far off saying that living with him had been like a junkie living with her dealer. Now he was willing to give it to her freely, it just tasted so much better, a whole new addiction that she would never admit to anyone.

All the more reason to keep him alive and healthy, to keep her supply going. This was just one way of her showing her love, that's all. Maybe he would be the one for her after all, but she would need to taste more of him. A lot more...

Tucking themselves into bed, they snuggled up together, Himiko much calmer than normal. Maybe the blood donations helped keep her edge off, but his blood really seemed to keep her under control. Was it because they were in love? He couldn't be sure, but despite everything, he couldn't see himself without her. She had come to mean that much to him.

He shouldn't be questioning himself, the way they felt for each other was new to both of them, if it wasn't love, what could it be?


	9. Chapter 9

**I don't own My Hero Academia or any of the characters.**

Izuku finally gets to attend the sports festival, and he's not disappointed in the slightest. He is, however, surprised at the turn of events _after_ the festival...

**We hope you enjoy what we have been cooking up...**

**Chapter 9**

The next morning, the countdown to the sports festival officially began for Izuku; in his mind at least. Now that it was so close, he could barely contain a combination of nerves and excitement. He just hoped that Kacchan didn't let him down, but his old 'friend' was nothing if not predictable. What really surprised him most was Himiko's sudden extra contribution to the plan.

"Is this really necessary?" He asked, covering his face as though exasperated, but also trying to hide an amused smile. He had awoken to an empty bed, only to find Toga bouncing around as her office work form, wearing his shirt and attempting to tease him by being as provocative as she could without breaking him.

While this was new, she had never used her shapeshifting to go out of her way to tease him, but by her standards this was tame. Also adorable in a way, when she pouted and stuck her tongue out at him in mock irritation at his lack of reaction.

"You know, I don't mind if you want to fool around with me like this…" She grinned, bending down in front of him, the shirt not doing much to obscure her body from view. To get him flustered was harder than when they had met, so she had to up her game; not so tame anymore.

"I, erm, no, ok too early for that!" He shot up, blushing brightly and retreating to the kitchen, while Himiko burst out laughing and collapsed on the bed.

'_Should probably wait a while to mention the fantasy at the top of my list though…' _She thought to herself, laying there and humming to herself with amusement as she listened to Izuku busying himself with breakfast, before bursting into quiet giggles. '_He's so easy to get flustered, it's adorable!'_

One thing he hadn't tested, or even thought to test until now, was what her abilities were like transformed. Something he was researching, that's why he still got his ass kicked by Himiko, even when wearing her disguise. That was his excuse and he was sticking to it. He was getting closer, all his different opponents in the training fights were helping him to improve, but her experience and speed was something he was beginning to think he would never be able to close the gap on.

It made him want to mix up their training some more, showing he still wasn't flexible enough for his own liking when he couldn't catch her off guard at all. Once the cuts and bruises healed at least; she had stopped going easy on him a little while ago. It was helping, very few of their group could keep up with him in hand to hand combat now, but it still hurt. Between his high pain tolerance and Himiko's habit of getting carried away from the sight and smell of his blood, he often ended up more battered than he would like.

Finishing up, they dropped by their main hideout, getting an update from Battery. They managed to convinced him that yes, this was Toga, no, there was a reason for the disguise, or at least that's what Toga claimed. He was confused, but happy to report that initial scouting had revealed a number of the more violent gangs or groups in their area had been wiping each other out over the last few months. If everything panned out, they should be able to remove the remainders with minimal difficulty; the more peaceful underground groups were interested in working with them if the area could be stabilized.

They headed for the Broker's lair with a spring in their step. The League had been quiet for a little while now, laying low no doubt, which meant less disruptions. Feelers were still being put out, if they couldn't find the League themselves, they might be able to get an idea of what their actual goal was.

Knowing Toga's voice and habits better, none of the Broker's group questioned her unusual look, simply rolling their eyes and waving the pair on through. It was only a flying visit, just needed to pick up their kit for the festival, most of which was just standard items they would be bringing, like cameras, while they also had a couple of surprises they wanted to field test.

Making it back to their flat, Izuku was wary of what she would try, but in true Himiko fashion, she was well behaved when he was watching her. Day one of her latest whim survived with little incident.

"Alright, everyone knows when and where to be tomorrow, you have the list of what we are looking for, who we should aim to get in touch with and what to be aware of. Take the time to make sure you're ready and I will see everyone in the morning. Any questions?" Looking around the table at the group assembled for the sports festival, he made sure everyone had nodded in understanding, before ending the meeting.

They had negotiated for twelve passes to the festival, three teams of four, one to attend each of the three school years taking part. Izuku, for obvious reasons, had placed himself and Toga in the teams covering the first year events, along with Doi so he could see how they were getting on. While some would be there to analyze the up and coming heroes, ones to keep an eye and ones they might be able to offer their services to, the rest would be networking and looking to drum up business. Something Doi had taken up with great enthusiasm, still looking to prove herself beyond what was needed, but it made his life easier so didn't even think to stop her.

"You are being quiet today, everything alright?" He turned to Himiko when they were alone again, wondering what was going on.

"Well, I might have been a little quick to use the situation to have fun." She admitted, continuing when she caught his confused look. "I saw a chance to mess with you and took it, forgetting what you were trying to do…" The rest of her statement trailed off, falling to silence before he took her hand and smiled at her.

"Himiko, I know you are helping, even if you do sometimes get a little carried away," he grinned, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. "We've talked about this, we know the plan and we know what needs to be done, I won't fault you for teasing me or wanting to have a little fun. Even if it feels like you're getting me back for being more assertive like you wanted me to be."

"You were having fun at my expense, not used to people doing that because they like me…" she grumbled, reassured at least.

"You literally asked for it!" He laughed, giggling as she shoved his shoulder and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah yeah, you dork, let's get going," she returned his smile, giving him a quick kiss. "You forgive me too easily sometimes you know."

"You're the first person who truly believed in me, I can forgive a lot for that. Oh and I'm just waiting for a more appropriate time to get you back." He gave her ass a quick squeeze and took the moment to slip out the room; before she recovered from the shock. He fled the building, with her in hot pursuit, the brief moment of just messing around lifting some of the tension that had been building over the last few days.

As he would later find out, when they were alone and he had removed her knives, that had been her original intention. She had a lot to learn about trying to distract people in a non confusing or violent manner, but she wasn't as keen to stab people so he just counted it as progress and moved on.

What both of them missed was Doi watching their antics, bemused as she watched what she thought was two teens blowing off steam after a long day, still trying to make sense of the green haired boy who had nothing like she expected when they met.

The big day had finally arrived. Despite all his preparation, it really was a good thing he had others supporting him, as he was focused on one thing and one thing only. Seeing his childhood 'friend' again, to see if he had grown and changed, or if he was the exact same as Izuku remembered.

He really hoped it was the latter, he had too much riding on it, but the info they had gained before being found indicated Kacchan was as bad as ever. He was so focused that time just sped by, until he found himself sitting in his seat in the stadium with Toga sat next to him.

"I know you're excited, but you should be paying more attention," she teased, when she noticed him paying attention to what was going on again. "I told the others you were that excited about how big a game changer this could be, that was all they could think of. Your new girl looked a little put out." Her grin grew wider as he began stuttering.

"She's not mine, Doi will be the one we leave the public facing stuff to." he grumbled, once he had his thoughts in order, making a note to keep an eye on the two women when in the same room. Himiko had never expressed much in the way of jealousy, but before Doi the only women Izuku had been around were the Broker and Sky. The Broker, well that didn't bear thinking about, but Sky had started out terrified of Toga. She was only nervous around the knife wielding teen now, but Sky still kept her distance, just in case. He couldn't blame her, Toga could be unnerving to him and he was relatively safe from her.

Doi was confident in her abilities, smart enough to rise high despite the stigma against her and potentially was sticking close to Izuku due to that shared stigma and possibly as a way to secure herself in the company; he hadn't really thought about it as his focus was elsewhere.

"Just, don't stab her alright?" He sighed, stroking her hair and smiling as she purred. They were in a relatively quiet part of the stadium, for now, so a little affection to keep her mind where he wanted it didn't hurt. The increased security from the attack meant that people were filtering in slowly, but the time just seemed to drag. Toga kept him focused, he checked in with the other teams, before double checking his own notes.

Finally, Present Mic, the loudest hero around, stepped up to the commentators booth and announced the event was starting, then announcing the classes as they stepped out into the stadium. Class 1-A was first, most of them standing tall still, a few cowed by their experiences, but most importantly to Izuku, Bakugo strutted forwards on his own.

Oh he had to contain his giggled of glee over that, hearing Toga as she struggled with the same. This was going to work.

This was confirmed when Bakugo was called to give the athletes oath, which he used to declare himself the future number one who would use these pebbles as his road to glory. Izuku and Toga were reduced to coughing fits as they swallowed their laughter; those around them roaring with disapproval and shock.

"_Oh Bakugo, you are just how I remember"_ Izuku thought to himself gleefully, loving the reactions around him.

"His ego is bigger than you told me, how is that possible?" He barely heard her muffled whisper, as she leaded close, still trying not to laugh as the sheer bravado of the explosive teens declaration.

"Oh it looks like he's only got worse, now he's in the top hero school," Izuku replied, "He will make a perfect symbol of what's wrong with this rotten system." Watching as Bakugo stomped off the stage and took his place with the class again, he had to resist the urge to laugh out loud at how things were going just as he gambled.

They hadn't been warned about what the various events were beforehand, so everyone found out at the same time. The obstacle course had certainly been entertaining, watching Bakugo blast his way to first place, narrowly beating out one Shoto Todoroki; his explosions sending him flying over the walls of ice the other hero in training threw up.

Seeing them live certainly was different to the recordings Izuku had seen previously, the sheer power of both of their quirks put them miles ahead of almost everyone else competing. Most of them were barely able to keep up, let alone challenge the clear leaders of the pack and the surrounding spectators were already placing bets on which one they thought would take first place this year.

Certainly a good way to get noticed, even if Bakugo still had some way to go to regain some of the respect he had sacrificed with his previous actions. But Izuku had a feeling that his former friend didn't even realise how badly he had made himself look.

It also gave him new students of interest to try and keep an eye on. Eijiro Kirishima, who had a hardening quirk strong enough to survive a large robot falling on his head and still keep coming. Mei Hatsume, beyond her being in the support department, didn't actually know much about her beyond she was a prolific creator of support items. Finally, Hitoshi Shinso, who Izuku had first noticed in the USJ incident, looked to have used his power to brainwash a group of his fellow students to help him get through the course.

"Hey, Zuzu, who's the ice guy?" Toga asked, she knew all about Bakugo, but the rest of the class, she might know their faces at best. He was the one more invested in them after all.

"Shoto Todoroki, son of Endeavour, so it's no surprise he is able to keep up with our angry little friend, but I swear…." He paused for a moment, flicking through his notes. "But he's down as having both ice and fire as his quirk, why is he only using his ice?"

"Maybe saving his fire for the later rounds? You said the final round was always head to head fights, could be saving himself for that. Face it, short of a miracle, he's going to make it that far.

"Hmm, maybe, he can use his ice for mobility easier, but his fire could have helped and I don't remember seeing him using his fire in the training sessions we recorded. There were some rumours that might be worth looking into." He trailed off his muttering, pinging a quick message to the Broker to pull up certain files and forward them to him, before turning back to Toga. To occupy themselves while the arrangements were made for the next event, he posed a question to her that he had been wondering about for some time. "So, how do you think we would do against this lot?

"I don't exactly fight fair if I can help it, give me time to get the blood of their friends or loved ones, or stalk them to find their schedule, they would never see me coming…" She trailed off, a look he knew well crossing her face as she imagined it.

"Take a tablet before you lose control," he whispered under his breath, snapping her out of it as she obeyed his instruction almost on instinct. "We can't afford to get caught today, if needed, I will give you some more of my blood this evening."

"Yes boss!" The change was instant, swallowing one of her blood tablets helped calm her down, but the prospect of the offered treat made her snap back to professional mode again. He sometimes did wonder how she made it through her other missions, though he had a feeling he didn't want to know the answer.

"Are you alright?" he whispered, softer, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. He had panicked when she started slipping, but now was more concerned. She had been fine lately, had his blood set her off? He would have to work it out later, this wasn't the place to look into it, but he would need to know if he was helping or hindering her.

"I'm fine, just nerves. Normally if I mess up I'm just risking myself, but now I have you to worry about…"

"I would be a complete mess without you here," Izuku admitted, still rubbing her hand, "I've never done something like this before, a year ago I would have been freaking out at being surrounded by so many heroes I want to talk to. But now, I have other things I'm interested in. Remember all those talks we have had."

"Hmm, I remember." She returned the smile, before blinking and looking out at the stadium. "Ah, I think they're about to start the next event, looks like explodey boy is in trouble." Izuku followed her gaze, catching up as the commentators repeated about the ten million point headband Bakugo had been awarded, as the winner of the first event. A cavalry battle, forcing his former friend to actually work with people to obtain victory.

Oh Izuku was going to enjoy this.

In the end it was rather a dull affair. Bakugo and Todoroki fended each other off and no one else had been able to touch them. While their teams fought, everyone else fought amongst themselves, no one wanted to get in the way of what was beginning to look suspiciously like a grudge match.

It was a flashy affair, but not quite the clash Izuku had been hoping for. Or rather, it was both more and less. Due to the power unleashed, a lot of the action was clouded from view, so while they couldn't see everything that was going on, without watching the floating cameras at least. Could be useful footage as well, training heroes to cause such chaos wasn't a good look with the right context.

The one on one fights were still to come, so no one went all out as Toga had pointed out. But at least those fights would be something to watch, he hoped. Izuku had built this day up so much in his head that it was a bit of a let down, while they would be able to use a lot of the footage, things hadn't been as chaotic as he had hoped for.

"Alright Toga, best get going with your objective, while they pause before the fight rounds start." He told her, getting a nod in return and leaving her to get on. She seemed more calm now, as she had pointed out, this was her speciality, so trusted her to complete her mission. As they had lost their link into the schools system, they had a number of small robots, designed to avoid detection, that they hoped to sneak into the grounds and maybe even big hero agency offices.

Toga's job was to sneak into the more restricted areas, using her quirk and talents, then to let the bots loose. The Broker could control them remotely, so would take it from there, though if the bots wandered into a shielded area then the signal would be disrupted and they would self-destruct. It might draw attention, but they couldn't risk being found out again, it might start making the wrong people suspicious. They needed to try and get access to new information, short of breaking into the agencies directly, this might be their best shot to plant some more bugs.

Toga called him up a short time later, shushing him and demanding he listened to a recording she sent him. Plugging in his head phones, he did so.

She had caught a conversation between Bakugo and Todoroki. He listened in astonishment at what he heard. The number two hero had engaged in a quirk marriage to create Todoroki, to try and take down All Might; while abusing or alienating that family he created by force. That was certainly surprising, but they had information about there's been something going on with that family, this just put it into perspective. The mutual challenge from the two heroes in training wasn't a surprise, but it amused him no end how pissed off his former friend got.

'_He doesn't want to use his father quirk, well that explains a lot, though that admission will piss off Bakugo for the wrong reasons…_' Izuku thought to himself, '_I need to find a way to talk to Todoroki, he could use a little push to help add more chaos to this system.'_

He could barely hide his smile as he imagined the fallout from the number two hero's son going rogue, if he could engineer it.

Izuku wasn't sure how long he zoned out after that, his brain whirring away as he digested the new information and waited impatiently for Bakugo's first fight to start.

"You might want to pay attention to this one," a voice said, as he felt a poke in his side, "Not like you to space out on me." Turning to look, he blinked when he saw Toga had returned without him noticing. "Did you even see the first match? That brainwash guy took out some kid from lB."  
"Erm, no, was slightly distracted after your message." He admitted, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"Honey, that was like an hour ago, are you alright?" She looked concerned, ignoring his snap earlier having written that off as stress, but him losing time like this was both new and worrying.

"I'm fine, I think…" He paused, having worked himself up so much about it, he suddenly just wished the day was over. "It can wait, what do you want me to…. Oh!"

While they had been talking the next round had started, Todoroki vs some kid who could shoot tape from his elbows. The match had just ended dramatically, the tape kid frozen in a giant glacier unleashed by his opponent, ending the match within seconds.

"He's this strong with just his ice, if he could use his fire, he could surpass his father…" Izuku whispered in awe. "We need to get to him, even if we can't get him on our side, if we can use his family history to turn him against the system and in favour of one where his situation doesn't repeat itself, it would help us more than having to fight him. I wonder if we could use the company to work with him somehow…"

"I'm enjoying watching hero brats beat the crap out of each other and you're already thinking how to corrupt them," Toga giggled to herself, poking him again as she teased him and he fell into a stuttering mess again.

They fell into a comfortable silence as they watched the next few matches, the only one that really interested them was one kid who summoned a giant shadow to overwhelm his opponent. While Izuku had initially focused on the two favourites, he was beginning to think the whole class should be looked into; they had a number of powerful quirks that could easily be abused.

All this was forgotten, when the fight he had been waiting for arrived. Bakugo vs the zero gravity quirk user; Ochaco Uraraka.

It was finally everything he had hoped for. While it looked like Uraraka had no plan and was charging head first into Baukgo's explosions, trying to touch him with her quirk and and the fight, her plan was eventually revealed. The commentators had to shut down some members of the audience who booed Bakugo for not just finishing the fight, thinking it was as one sided as it looked.

That was until she unleashed her final attack, levitating the shattered surface of the arena. The explosions had done a lot of damage, hundreds of small pieces of concrete whirled around her as she launched a multi direction attack with them; hurling herself into the fight once more alongside the projectiles she had created in an all or nothing assault.

Izuku hadn't even given her much though, zero gravity was a good quirk for rescue operations, but the way she was using it in combat was something else. He cheered her, along with Toga, when her plan came together, manipulating the gravity of several different groups at once to hammer Bakugo; even managing to drive him back.

In the end, it still wasn't enough. Bakugo unleashed a series of massive explosions, scattering the storm she had conjured with a greater force. As both fighters faced each other down, the crowd cheering on this display of raw power, Uraraka collapsed; her quirk appeared to have caught up with her as she fainted in the ruins of the arena.

Silence fell as Bakugo was declared the winner, before the stadium erupted. It was the closest and most intense battle of the tournament so far and everyone got caught up with the sheer willpower Uraraka has displayed.

"He knew what she was capable of and she still caught him off guard." Izuku muttered to himself, catching Toga's confused look and explaining himself. "Bakugo normally charges in and uses overwhelming force to subdue his opponents, that he held back shows he had at least some respect for her skills, which I didn't think he was capable of. I wonder what we missed in the few weeks since we lost our link into their system, they can't all have become this much stronger in such a short space of time!"

"You might be a little focused on one of them in particular," Toga pointed out, resting her head on his shoulder. "If this is the best school for it, then all new heroes won't be this strong, but you're going to have to face them one way or another down the line if you want to carry out our plan."

"I… you're right, again." He sighed, rubbing his eyes in frustration. "I write the notes for everyone, yet don't make use of them myself. I was hoping to avoid clashing with heroes for as long as possible, but sooner or later we will have to face them; the older ones are more likely to fight to maintain things as they are, but they raised the younger ones…"

He carried on muttering to himself, following that train of thought until a sharp elbow dug into his side and brought him back to his senses. "You're going to miss the final fight if you keep that up," was all he got when he glared at her, while she just grinned. He sighed and nodded, admitting defeat.

"Here I was lecturing you earlier," he muttered, leaning forwards and Bakugo and Todoroki stepped forward for the final fight of the festival. He might have been getting distracted all day, but this he should pay attention for and work out what was wrong later.

The battle was the spectacle that many were anticipating, but Izuku lost interest when he was able to predict the first few moves. Todoroki opened up with his glacier move, attempting to freeze his opponent before he got going. Bakugo counted with his opening right hook, which Izuku had seen dozens of times before, letting off an explosion to counter the ice as he launched himself into the air with small explosions from his left.

The follow up attack was giant icicles launched through the air, forcing Bakugo to dodge and weave through the air, but none came close. A wall of ice deflected an explosive punch, spears of ice were battered aside or flown around. This carried on for several minutes, until the arena was covered in mounds of both solid and shattered ice and cement.

The two faced each other down, Bakugo crouched on the remains of the opening glacier, panting and rubbing his hands, the ice might be hindering his ability to sweat and create explosions. Todoroki was lurking behind several walls of ice, his right side noticeably freezing up which appeared to be slowing him down.

'Could it be, that's what Endeavor was trying to do?' Izuku thought to himself, realization hitting him as all the information he had on the father and son clicked into place. 'Endeavour has the strongest fire quirk of any hero in the country, if he wanted someone with an ice quirk, to give both their quirks to a kid…' He paused, everything clicking into place as his brain worked it all out. 'Then that means…'

His train of thought was interrupted by a scream of pure rage.

"Why won't you fucking use both your damn quirks you icey bastard! Do you look down on me that much you think you can win with half your power!" Bakugo screamed in his fury, frustrated as the stalemate. "Either show me your fire, or I will end this fight right now!"  
"I refuse to use it, I will win without using his quirk!" Todoroki growled, hurling more icicles into the air, forcing Bakugo to leap back.

"Tch, fine then, I've been storing this up all day, try and stop it if you can…" The look on the explosive quirk users face was downright feral, as he leapt back to the limits of the fight area, before sending himself spiraling through the air; sending himself corkscrewing towards the wall of ice. "Howitzer Impact!" He roared as he rocketed straight at his target.

"Oh he can't be that stupid!" Izuku started to shout, right before the entire arena shattered in a mind numbing explosion, that sent shards of ice flying everywhere, deafened the crowd and covered the whole area in smoke and dust.

While the smoke cleared, the entire stadium held its breath. Bakugo was the last one still standing. Barely, from the wreckage it looked like Todoroki had thrown up a massive wall of ice to try and counter the attack, but Bakugo had simply blown his way through and shattered all the ice still standing, hurling his half frozen opponent into the wall below the spectator stands.

"Why wouldn't you use both of your quirks!?" Bakugo screamed, preparing to launch himself at an unconscious Todoroki, slumping to the ground as the hero Midnight stepped behind him and put him to sleep with her quirk while others went to check on Todoroki.

"Bakugo is the winner." Midnight announced, almost sounding disappointed as she said it.

"Oh you magnificent bastard!" Izuku whispered to himself, already imaging how they were going to to use this to further their cause.

It only got better, from his point of view at least. When Bakugo had woken up for the award ceremony, they had to chain him to the podium and muzzle him, all to prevent him attacking Todoroki who was looking rather worse for wear, one arm strapped up, cuts healing on his face and staring at the ground. The top first year hero in training had flattened all competition and was still trying to go after one of them like a rabid dog.

Izuku couldn't have asked for a more perfect example of what was wrong with things. Bakugo didn't even accept his medal with any real dignity, despite it coming from All Might himself, Bakugo's icon.

Maybe, like Izuku had experienced, it didn't end well when you met your heroes. Though it had made him the man he was today.

It was all rather dull after that, things winding down as the students retired for the day. Izuku felt himself losing track of time again, even Toga was getting concerned about him, but he continued waving it off; something to look into later.

They were making their way out, having waited to let the stadiums clear somewhat, as well as regroup, they were asked to step to one side. When he asked what it was about, he was told one of the teachers wanted to have a word about the services their company offered. Realising what was going on, or so he hoped, he got permission to send off all but himself, Toga and Doi.

They were shown to a small waiting room and provided with refreshments, while he pinged off a quick message to the office to let them know the trio would be delayed, before settling in to wait.

They sat there for maybe twenty minutes, before the door opened and Aizawa, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-A, entered. Izuku relaxed for a moment, everything seemed normal, until the second figure stepped in.

All Might, bending down to squeeze through the doorway, sat down next to Aizawa, neither looked to have noticed when Izuku froze, but a subtle, if slightly panicked, nudge from Toga snapped him out of it.

His plan for dealing with All Might required him to run out of power, in a straight fight he would demolish anything they could throw at him. If they had been somehow rumbled, then.

He paused, keeping his thoughts quiet thankfully, he was overreacting, see what they want before worrying...

"When my colleague mentioned your company, in particular you Izuku Midoriya, was attending this event, I thought it was logical to talk to you and perhaps enlist your services." Aizawa stated, his expressionless face regarding each of them in turn. "If you're as good as he says, it might be worth it, despite this I'm not sure what a quirkless kid the same age as my students would be able to help them with."

"Shota Aizawa, aka the Pro Hero Eraserhead. Your quirk is called Erasure, looking at the quirk of none mutant types is erased as long as you are looking at them. Despite having no physical enhancement to your quirk, combining it with support gear like your scarf and goggles, you can bring most opponents down to your level and beat them with experience. While you work as an underground hero, avoiding the spotlight where possible, you are more known because of your teaching job." Izuku rattled this all off, catching the surprise that flashed across Aizawa's face for a second, not expecting anyone to know his abilities and record. "Not only that, but I heard about how you leapt into the fray at the USJ against a whole army of thugs, all to protect your students. You might say I'm something of a fan after that stunt, despite how tragically it ended…"

He trailed off, eyes downcast. Gathering himself before looking up, he was surprised to see the notoriously hard ass Aizawa actually showing some emotion. The man looked tired and saddened, though there also looked to be a little pride in receiving such a heartfelt response, despite the situation and his normal reluctance to be seen publicly.

"You're as knowledgeable as All Might claimed, as you say, the USJ incident is one of the reasons we are reaching out to try new methods we haven't considered before. This class is already off to a bad start and I want them to be as ready as possible. Which is why I considered it." He paused, getting some eye drops out and using them, before continuing. "Having looked at your company, you could help with that, would you be able to come to the school and assist my students?"

"Of course!" cried both Izuku and Doi, the excitement on their faces making both All Might and Toga laugh; Aizawa just blinking in irritation before handing them a business card, with instructions to call the number tomorrow to see about arranging for Izuku to come into the school the following week.

While it was quicker than they usually worked, the chance to work with the top hero school in the country could open up new possibilities; even if there were different motives behind accepting. To avoid getting too excited, he sat back and left the negotiation to his new business manager. It was one of the reasons he hired her after all.

The meeting with the teacher lasted longer than expected, Izuku and Toga bidding Doi goodbye and heading straight for home, which didn't raise any suspicions. Instead of heading to their apartment, they instead took a meandering route to one of their personal training spots, making sure they weren't being followed and were alone, before the pair burst out laughing.

"All Might himself just solved our information problem!" Izuku cried, tears streaming down his face as he struggled to breathe from how hard he was laughing.

"He felt so sorry for you he did our job for us!" Himiko laughed, rolling around on the ground in glee. She didn't want to tell him, but it looked like his puppy dog look had finally come in useful.

"Ah, we… we need to get back to the Brokers, got to get the video sorted…" he gasped. Despite this, it still took them some time to recover, the irony tickling them too much to stop. After all, when the greatest hero of all time invites them in so trustingly, it was hard not to accept. "We can plan for that later, right now, we need to get that video made. We can't turn down all these generous chances the heroes are offering us…"

They eventually made it home at some god forsaken hour of the morning. The video was done and had been posted on as many sites as they could. There were some events from the day that they had to catch up on, but both of them were exhausted, collapsing into bed when they arrived home.

"I should get changed back." Himiko sighed, pulled herself up, "You must be fed up of looking at this face and I've had my fun." She paused, when he placed his hand on her shoulder and stopped her from leaving.

"Change in the morning," he whispered in her ear, "You kept it together today, so you deserve a little treat…"


	10. Chapter 10

**I don't own My Hero Academia or any of the characters.**

Izuku discovers he's been more absent than he remembers and loses himself in his quirk, worrying everyone around. He worries them even more, when he walks out of the hospital more alive than in the past couple months and with the fire back in his eyes.

**We hope you enjoy what we have been cooking up...**

**Chapter 10**

Izuku woke up the following morning, feeling surprisingly relaxed and refreshed after the pressure of yesterday. He left Himiko sleeping, still in her office form. Droplets of blood staining the sleeve of the shirt she was wrapped in, the knife he grabbed to clean up, along with her contented smile, reminded him how last night ended. Checking the cuts on his fingers had healed, he cleaned up around her, putting their clothes to wash, while sterilizing and storing the knife with her collection.

Few months ago, he would have freaked out if he was living with a girl who had an entire drawer full of assorted knives and a blood fetish; but now it was just normal for him. Since she had effectively moved in with him full time, he had noticed she didn't have much beyond a few changes of clothes, her knives, villain gear and some random trinkets. He just hoped that the more stable environment would help her.

He was working from home for the day, giving him a chance to compile his notes and recommendations, which was now more important than ever with the potential UA contract. The chance to potentially influence the next generation of heroes was too tempting to pass up, even if he knew the risk he was running.

Walking into the lion's den as it were, if they found out who he was, he would have no escape. While confident about fighting the students one on one, he would last seconds against any of the Pros.

Now just to see how the video they released has gone down.

They had gone for something simple, as a semi official announcement of their existence. The video was mostly the clips of Bakugo at his worst, with scrolling text along the bottom reminding people that this was the top student, in the top hero school in the country, enjoying using his power to beat on other kids. The last part was just a clip of Izuku in his Quirk Coach costume questioning if this was the sort of hero people wanted to see more of, a montage of images of other heroes with similar power abuse issues, both rumoured and confirmed, then played.

Finally, it cut back to Izuku announcing the start of their group, making it sound like they were doing this in reaction to recent events and not planning something like this for over a year now.

"We are the Fallen, the ones left behind or discarded by a society focused only on power and strong quirks. Like Stain, we believe society has been warped by heroes who use their powers for fame and wealth, rather than helping people. Like him, we aim to change this. Though our methods will vary, our end goal is the same, leading to an alliance between us. We are only interested in those who abuse their power and positions, so to the true heroes, the ones who throw themselves in harm's way to save the innocent, we applaud you. Our grudge is not with you, but if you interfere in our plans, we will defend ourselves."

_It was a nice little speech_, Izuku thought to himself, proud of his handiwork. They had kept to the shadows, but with Stain and others willing to work with them, they could start making a move. _Where had that thought come from_. Now just to see what the reaction to the video was.

The reception was less than he had hoped for, but still promising. One thing he had completely missed yesterday was Stain had found another target, crippling the hero Ingenium and killing one of his sidekicks. At least the hero killer had mentioned his alliance with Quirk Coach and his group, not knowing their name at the time. This just added to their credibility and claims, while making public knowledge about their agreed mutual alliance.

Well, more boosted, declaring that other true believers joining his crusade was a sign he was gaining ground against the corrupt society. Gaining from his increasing presence and growing reach with new followers didn't hurt.

There were downsides, while the sidekick slain hadn't been exactly innocent, he also wasn't the kind of hero Izuku was trying to stop; more of a boastful loudmouth who threw his weight around, than an actual abuser. He hoped this alliance wouldn't come back to haunt him down the line.

At least they were getting some mention, even if it was mostly as a group allied with Stain, but that might work in their favour. As long as he ignored the people questioning how a group releasing such a tame video was linked with a killer and avoid over thinking that part. He wasn't sure how long he sat at his desk, grumbling and muttering to himself, before he jumped in shock as he felt something touch his back.

Turning around, he found Himiko had returned to her usual form and gear, making sure Izuku knew it was her, before rubbing his back gently.

"So how did it go?" she asked.

"Well we certainly put ourselves on the map, while they're mostly talking about Stains latest attack, they are talking about us as a group inspired by him at least." Catching the glint in her eye, he grabbed her and pulled her into his lap. "You still want to meet him huh?"

"Well if we are working with him, it wouldn't hurt to have a working relationship…" She grinned innocently, while he just rolled his eyes, knowing how that wouldn't end well. This only made her grin wider, as well as glance at the screen to see the comments he was reading, quickly shuffling around to read properly when one comment caught her eye. "Not sure who this Quirk Coach is, but he doesn't look like much, kinda a boring costume." she quoted, grabbing Izuku's hands as he tried to grab her away from the screen, before turning to grin at him over her shoulder.

"Maybe it wasn't the best first impression, but we can change that…" Izuku grumbled to himself, jerked back to reality when she let go of his arms and poked his nose.

"We need to get you some new threads!" She declared, "New digs, I don't know, whatever the cool term is now, you need them! Gotta make you look better than Stainy boy!"

"Maybe later Himiko, I need to get these notes sorted and meetup for lunch with Gentle. Don't you have something you should be getting ready for?" Matching her smirk with one of his own, before she jumped off him and went to get ready, stealing what was left of his breakfast as she went.

Smiling to himself in amusement and watching her leave, he turned back to his work. Got a schedule to meet and he had wasted enough time.

Time vanished until his alarm went off, pulling him back to reality and reminding him he had a meeting to get to. Glancing over the work he had done, Izuku frowned. The notes were more like his black market ones, more tailored for combat than anything, he needed to tone it down. That would have to wait until the afternoon though.

Grabbing his coat and heading out in his civilian clothes, he called up Sky to see where she was. Time to meet Gentle Criminal.

"Where is he?" Toga asked, bursting into the door of one of the hideouts, making Sky jump in shock, before pointing to the training area. Nervously pointing towards the section full of various training equipment, the shapeshifter swept past Sky and marched towards the commotion she could hear as she got closer.

Turning a corner, she paused in shock as she witnessed the normally calm and collected Izuku going to town on a punching bag. He was a blur of limbs as he hammered at the bag, the creaking of it's suspension could be heard over his angry growls and the thuds of his blows. It was almost in slow motion as he spun on the spot, delivering a ferocious kick, the chain holding it up finally giving way and bringing the whole thing crashing down; snapping Izuku out of his rage and making him leap back with a yelp of surprise.

"That's one bag that won't trouble us again!" Toga exclaimed, bursting out in laugher, which only got louder as he glared at her. Eventually she calmed down, bent over and got her breath back as she chuckled to herself, before regaining her composure. "I take it the meeting didn't go as planned?"

"We arrived at the meeting, but then Gentle just said 'thank you, but I won't sully myself by allying with murderers' and left. Didn't even give me a chance to explain!" Izuku shouted, frustration lacing his voice as he kicked the downed bag.

"And the part where you're able to break things like that?" She asked, pointing at the damage which sent his brain whirling as he realised what she meant. He had never had the strength or speed to do something like that before, even his rage couldn't explain it.

"I did end up getting a fish heavy dish today, as a treat. First time in a long time…" He mused to himself. "Some quirks use specific food or drinks to fuel them, maybe that's what is happening here, I never thought to test it on myself…"

"Zuzu, you stay here and calm down, I will grab some stuff for you to test back home, then see you this evening. I've got that job to finish and maybe someone you will want to meet." She took charge, not giving him room to say no, not that he was capable when she was in full rant mode. Not that she gave him a chance to respond, turning on her heel and rushing out before he could.

She had something in mind, if it would help after the day he had had, would remain to be seen.

Izuku watched in surprise as Toga dashed off, it had been a while since she had gone off on him like that, turning when he heard someone clearing their throat.

"Erm, are you… alright Coach?" Sky hazarded, looking at him with concern.

"I'm fine, mostly, just frustrated." Izuku admitted, running one hand through his hair and sighing as he tried to relax. "I just want to get us all working towards a better world, but trying to get everyone doing so is like herding cats!"  
"Well, not everyone shares your vision, with how often you've been absent, or acting funny the last few months, I wasn't sure if you were still set on that vision; or if something else had come up. While I'm glad you're back, taking control again, you seem, I don't know, angrier?"

"What? I've only been gone a few days tops, apart from the USJ…"  
"Boss, that's not always been true…"

He got back to the apartment, disappointed to find Toga gone, but found a bag full of various fish based supplements. It looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where the bag was from, only that he hadn't seen it in a while. It also had a note with the word 'enjoy' and a little chibi drawing of her waving a knife around in what was probably a supporting manner; he couldn't be entirely sure.

There had been questions he wanted to ask her, but that could wait for now. Setting himself up in the office, he lined up the tablet bottles and accessed the Brokers network files as he popped the first one and set about going over the last few months.

He worked his way through the selection on offer, until one gave him a burst of energy when he activated his quirk. Pausing and checking what he had just eaten, he sighed when he realised what it was. Omega 3 tablets, of course a brain based quirk would be fueled like that, the damn things either followed some loose logic, or chose at random.

He had a lot to work through, a bit of a speed boost wouldn't hurt, pouring a handful out and swallowing them in one go. He gave it enough time to make it into his system, before triggering his quirk again and gasping with surprise.

Maybe a little too much, things felt like they were moving so slow compared to him, bouncing a pen off his fingers in amazement as he experimented. His quirk heightened his senses and reflexes, to keep up with his brain, but this was something else entirely…

"_Well someone's having fun._" said a voice from next to him. Even when he dropped the pen in surprise, Izuku was able to snatch it out of the air, laying it down carefully, before slowly turning to look beside him.

Smiling back, was himself. A slightly blurry and translucent version of himself, but it was definitely him.

"So, have I finally lost it?" He hazarded.

"_Maybe._ _Well probably not, you did just swallow a lot of what amounts to rocket fuel for your quirk, then use it all at once, this is just how your brain is coping with the sudden overload of information_." His other self reassured him, it was unnerving, seeing himself as others probably did, but if this was all his quirks doing…

"So I'm telling myself what's going on?"

"_We share the same brain, you might already know the answer to that, just need time to process it._" Rolling his eyes at himself was surreal. "_Or maybe this is your brain's way of telling you to lay off using so much at once._"

"Ok, let's try something then." He elected to ignore getting sass from himself, as he was either crazy, or he was going to regret eating so many tablets at once. Turning back to the screen, he scrolled through the last few months of information, reports and activities faster than he had thought possible before. Rocket fuel was an understatement, gaining this quirk had been a step up in his abilities, this was something else entirely.

It took him less time than he expected, but he began to see what Sky and Battery had been referring to. If he believed the reports, then he had simply vanished for days on end, sometimes turning up but acting funny (he could need to have a word with Toga about that), but it looked to have all started around a certain event.

"If he did do something extra to me, then what? We did tests afterwards and physically I was… Oh."

"_Well we have been more focused on Bakugo, to an unhealthy degree. The others have noticed, probably why they were asking why we haven't been around as much. Maybe Broker has someone they can get in touch with to see if there are any mental effects left on us…"_

"I think so…" he muttered to himself, firing off a quick, urgent message to their backer, before pausing. "If I've been this focused because of something he's done, how am I able to break free now?"

"_Rocket fuel!_" His mirror image grinned. Having decided to treat the figure as his subconscious manifested, which at least sounded science like for him to accept, Izuku gave it some thought.

"AFO said it would give us mental and physical abilities above what is normal, but made no mention of this. Do you think he didn't know?"

"_Maybe?_" The figure shrugged. "_What difference does it make?"_

"If he didn't know it was possible, then he's not going to know what I'm capable of, if he does then he was testing…"

"And we will be tying ourselves in knots guessing, that can wait for now. He won't even speak to us…" Izuku's eyes kept straying to the bag, knowing it was familiar, but still unable to place it.

"_Front pocket_." His ever so helpful image said. Izuku paused, not sure what trick he was playing on himself, but unzipped the front pocket, reaching inside and pulling out a scorched piece of paper.

"Oh…" he said quietly, recognising it straight away. "The note from when Toga…"

"_Found us. Well in a way we did die that day._" His other self continued, finishing the thought for him.

"Everything since that day has been almost like we are in another world…" Izuku continued.

"_The old Izuku Midoriya died on that rooftop. Who came down with Toga was someone else._"

"But not entirely dead, but trying to live in both worlds…"

"_We are going to have to choose sooner or later, commit to one path or the other. Before someone, like AFO, chooses for us._"

"As people keep nudging me about…" Izuku sighed, slumping back in his seat, massaging his head. "Why do I feel like shit all of a sudden…" Turning to his other self, he was shocked to see it give him a wave as it began fading away. "Shit!" he gasped, necking a few more tablets, before scrambling to his feet and heading for the door. He needed to get to the Broker, he needed Clarity…

Stumbling out the door, he pinged off a quick message as he went.

Battery sat at one of his favourite drinking holes, determined to enjoy his evening. With Izuku in and out, it had fallen to him and Sky to keep things going, now that the kid was stepping up again, he was going to have a nice quiet drink.

His phone pinged at that moment, picking it up to check, it was a location alert from Izuku, looked to be the nearest training area at a glance. It had gone to multiple numbers, so he stuffed his phone back in a pocket and went back to his drink. It can't have been more than five minutes when his ringtone kicked off, causing him to dig it out again, seeing it was Sky this time he answered after he sighed to himself.

"What's…" he managed, before he was cut off by panicked chatter.

"Didn't you get his message? I found Izuku and I think he's dying! I don't know what happened to him but he's not good, just keeps going on about Clarity or something?" He had never heard Sky like this, if boss man was this bad he had better look into it.

"I'll be there in five." He assured her, hanging up, before downing what was left of his drink. "So much for a quiet evening…"

Battery didn't head straight for the hideout, one of the rules from the start was to make a few detours just in case, so it took him a little longer than five minutes to get there in the end. When he did, he found Sky panicking, stood over an unconscious and pale looking Izuku.

She had put him in the recovery position, which was something, but their boss didn't look good. '_You had to pass out in one of our hideouts didn't you.._' He grumbled to himself, spending a couple of minutes rubbing Sky's back and talking to her quietly to calm her down, before placing a call to the Broker.

"No idea what's wrong with QC, but I hope to hell you have medical facilities." After getting a confirmation he sighed and gave them the location, before turning back to the other two and trying to deal as best as they could.

'_Just when I thought things were getting back on track…'_

"Quirk overuse" was the diagnosis from the backroom doctor who treated Izuku when they got him back to headquarters.

"Erm, is his quirk even strong enough for that?" Battery asked, confused as he had seen his boss using his quirk a lot lately without issue.

"Everyone has their limits, based on what I can see, he found something that fuels his quirk and got carried away." The explanation came with a shrug, before the doctor turned and tapped the IV plugged into her patient's arm. "Make sure he keeps that in sedative should keep him out while his body heals, but I'm told his quirk enhances his metabolism, so he might wake up earlier."

"Thanks doc, I'll keep an eye on him," Sky volunteered, "not sure I trust him to get into even worse shape right now…" Battery agreed with an irritated sigh.

"I'll go and rally the troops, if he still wants to have his meeting in two days, best make sure we're ready." He said, squeezing her shoulder and turning to head out. "Let me know if anything changes." were his last words as he departed, trying to keep his anger down and ignoring the man he passed in the corridor.

The man shook his head in confusion, before continuing into the room, pausing when Sky looked at him in confusion. "Is this the room of Izuku Midoriya? I was asked to come and have a look at him, my name is Clarity…"

It was around three in the morning when Sky woke with a start, having fallen asleep in a chair next to Izuku's bed. Her boss had woken with a panicked start, flailing and shouting, before she had slapped him in confusion and anger, sending him tumbling off the other side of the bed.

She froze for a moment, checking his IV was still in, thankfully it was on the side he had fallen and looked to be intact, before scrambling around the bed and pulling him back onto the bed.

"S-sky?" he asked in a daze, not sure how he got here, or what had just happened.

"You idiot!" she shouted, panicking about having just attacked her injured boss. "You keep vanishing, just when we think you're coming back, we find you dying on your own! What were you thinking!"

"I wasn't," Izuku stated, holding his hands up to ward off any further attack. "It is my fault for getting too focused and trying to do everything myself, but Clarity has proved my theory right." He looked up, she was frozen in place, not expecting this turn of events. "AFO did something to me that got me hyper focused on fighting the heroes. I want to say some form of brainwashing, but without knowing exactly what he did it's hard to… sorry I'm mumbling again!"

"Just, Izuku, things can't keep going like this…" Sky sighed, sitting back on her chair.

"And you're right again." Izuku told her, settling down on the bed. "I want to start expanding all our operations, we are ready to do so, but will need to be much bigger if we want the freedoms we are after."

"When you say expand?"

"You're still hitting hero product shipments, start stealing as much of it as you can. We were meant to be taking over or joining forces with some smaller time smugglers, has that happened yet?" Sky shook her head. "Then we will need to get on with that."

"Boss, hold up, you just collapsed from quirk exhaustion, shouldn't you be resting?" Izuku stopped and looked at the IV still in his arm.

"I can take this with me, we have places to go and people to see!" She wanted to protest, she really did, but one of the things that had served him well before was his ability to accidentally sweep people up. He paused, looking tired for a moment. "I've lost too much time to his interference, one last job, then we move forwards with the plan."

"Izuku…" She whispered. The fire was back, the drive that had swept her away the first time.

"I made you a promise, I have been lax lately in working to fulfil it, but now we are well past ready and that bastards interference is dealt with! Are you still willing to see this through?"

"If I can soar free…. Well I'm committed, might as well see where this goes." She sighed, never much of a leader, always happy to follow and he was still the best boss she had ever worked for. He turned to smile at her, before sweeping out the room in search of the Broker.

"We have wasted too much time Sky, I'm still looking forward to seeing who you put forward tomorrow."

"At least change out of the hospital gown! And one thing at a time, please..."

"I would have thought you would still be resting?" The Broker inquired as Izuku sat down with her, Sky hovering nervously in the background.

"Already lost too much time due to OFA's interference, things have fallen apart a little as it is." Izuku sighed, a moment of tiredness sweeping over his face, before he pushed it aside with a little boost from his quirk. "Learned a lot about how to avoid quirk exhaustion, but will still need to work on that. I'm guessing the new healing boosting drugs work?. For now I need to know if you're ready to get the next phase underway?"

"We have been ready for like a month, just waiting for you to finish up with the company and Toga stop impersonating you so often." The Broker smirked, amused that she had been caught using Izuku as a test subject, but he was up and about in record time.

"Really need to talk to her about that… So if we wanted to start in a week's time, would that be possible." The Broker regarded him for a moment, her gaze unreadable, but then pulled up a map of the city on the large screen on the wall.

"Assuming we are following the original idea, there's a few districts with low hero populations, high petty crime and most properties in the hands of shady individuals." Izuku spent several minutes flicking through them, the Broker noting his improved processing ability, before he found the ideal candidate.

"This one, 3 districts over from us, so close enough to maintain from here, but far enough away to be safe from searches." Turning back to the others, he carried on muttering to himself. "If the smuggling and transportation groups are still interested in joining us, put them in touch with Sky, your ambassador will probably be needed to smooth things over. Send me the target list for the selected district and I will go over it with Battery and make sure he knows the plan."

"He might be a little angry about your vanishing habits of late," the Broker commented dryly, "

"I will deal with that, especially if the upgrades to my suit are ready, I have a lot of promises to keep and I intend to do just that!" Izuku declared, holding both of their gazes. "Are you still with me?"

The Broker was less susceptible to Izuku's almost quirk like infectious enthusiasm, it was good to see the fire back in him, but that wasn't enough. It was the plan, she had ambitions as well and he stood ready to make them happen. That was why she agreed to join in.

Well, that and the money.

"Dumbass." Battery growled to himself, sparks from his quirk lighting a cigarette he was chewing on, before he took a long drag.

"Erm, boss?" managed one of the goons, looking over in confusion.

"You've seen the video right?" Battery asked, taking another long drag and blowing the smoke towards the ceiling.

"From your boss? Yeah! I mean a little dorky, but the message was why I joined up!"

"Well you might meet him sometime soon, we might finally be getting this plan on the road, if he's serious."

"What do you mean boss?"

"Yes Battery, what do you mean?" Came another voice. Lowering his view from the ceiling, he smirked, seeing Izuku and Sky in their full costumes. Izuku's had been upgraded and had more of a military look to it now with bulkier gauntlets and boots. Well, he had the look down at least.

Stubbing out his cigarette and dropping the front part of his helmet back into place, he stood up, electricity crackling across his skin.

"Hey QC, well you have been awfully distracted lately, keep saying the plans are progressing, while we are left kicking our heels." Battery challenged, the lower members in the training area scattering to watch from a safer distance.

They didn't know much about the guy in charge, beyond he was meant to be a genius, but they had seen Battery training hard and knew what he could do.

"The plan is ready, it's time, if you're still on board?" Izuku stepped forwards, about thirty or so trainees, plus Sky, formed a loose ring around the pair.

"I'm not convinced you've chosen a path yet, that your drive is lacking, why don't you prove me wrong." Taking a fighting stance, watching as Izuku dropped into his own, before thrusting one hand out and aiming a bolt of electricity at the spot his boss stood.

As fast as he had been, Izuku had moved faster. One of his little grenades was already up in the air, triggering and spreading what looked like small metal flakes around. The bolt that was meant to hit him, was largely pulled into these flakes where it dispersed harmlessly.

The charge that made it past was soaked up by the new gauntlets.

'_Oh shit, he came prepared…_' was all Battery managed, before he was sent stumbling back. '_Izuku is good, can't think of him like the others here._'

To the spectators, it looked like Izuku had swatted aside Battery's attack, then lunged forwards and sent him staggering with a blow to the stomach.

Gathering his electricity around his hands, he ran through various punches, chops, swipes and any sort of attack that might help him just catch his opponent with enough sparks to stun him. Izuku had done some upgrades to his gauntlets, he was able to use them to block the arcing energy; when not just outright dodging them.

'When the hell did he get this fast?' Going for the big shot, as he knew he was going to lose in a drawn out fight, Izuku knew his quirk too well, he sparked off his entire body, using his hands to direct a much larger bolt of energy at Izuku.

He had to avoid attacks with too much spread, didn't want to hit the ones watching, which made it tougher for him, but he just needed one overwhelming blow.

Izuku might be back, because Battery wasn't going to put up with any more of this flip flopping he had seen of late, he was going to make the teenager prove it.

There was a fizzle as the metal flakes burnt out, followed by a crack as the ground where Izuku had stood shattered. Battery blinked, barely having time to register his opponent had vanished, before he felt an impact from behind that sent him tumbling forwards.

'_When did he become so fast?'_ he wondered to himself, he knew the boss was quick, all his time fighting Toga gave him that, coupled with his quirk and he could move even faster. This was something else, even when he slowed down to launch the attack, he hadn't seen Izuku move. He had written his dodging and blocking as a result of training with Toga, but he had never seen this level of ability from him.

'_That felt like an electrical blast, more than I could absorb…'_ He might not have Izuku's knack for analysis, but he had picked up enough to know he was in trouble. When the nature of the attack that had sent him flying registered with his brain, only Izuku would think to use an electrical attack on someone with an electric base quirk; knowing the limits of that quirk.

Rolling to his feet and turning to face his opponent again, he got a split second to think '_oh shit'_, before Izuku's arm hit him in the throat, boot impacting the back of his knee, and sending Battery slamming to the ground.

The air was driven from his lungs, leaving him gasping for air on the ground, Izuku wandering back over to bend over him. Flicking his visor open, so only Battery could see his face, he gave his signature smile.

"Are you convinced yet Rai?" The man stared up at Izuku, searching his eyes and nodding, satisfied with what he saw. The fire, that drive, that had drawn the man to Izuku in the first place, along with his ideals of a better world, it had returned after several months of absence.

"Yeah, that will do boss, when do we get started?" Izuku laughed, closing the visor and offering a hand up, which was willingly accepted. The onlookers started cheering as they dusted themselves off, catching a few phones up, Izuku made a note to grab a copy of the footage to go over himself.

He had trained Battery, so knew his limitations, but then he also had improved himself. He knew he couldn't rely on pulling it off again, but could at least offer suggestions for them both.

"I'll send you the details of our targets, we move out in a week's time. One last job to finish, then we can stop sitting around so much. But first, I have something I would like you to see."

Leaving Battery to get the other under control, he departed with Sky, making sure he was several blocks away before they parted ways. He got a few streets from home, before ducking into an alley and throwing up in a bin.

'_Ok, no more pushing myself that hard for a while, get tonight over and I can crash until the meeting tomorrow night…'_

The guard on duty yawned and stretched in his seat, taking another sip of coffee. Turning to greet his coworker, he missed the monitor screens behind him flickering briefly.

"All quiet out?" He asked, handing a fresh cup to the new arrival.

"Quiet as normal, even villains seem to have a certain level of respect for fallen heroes," was the reply as he sat down and sighed.

They both checked over the various camera feeds before them, not catching that the Hero Cemetery cameras had been placed on a loop. Even if they had checked, they more than likely wouldn't have caught on about the alarms been disabled either.

If everything went to plan, they wouldn't even know the intruders were there.

The group snuck in over the wall, with the security disabled they weren't likely to get caught, but still made sure to be careful. Keeping an eye out for any patrolling guards, despite assurances they were in the control centre, they made their way to the freshest grave.

Izuku came to stand at the foot of the grave, still in his full costume, Sky and Battery with him in theirs, and joined by Scale Fist. Much to his annoyance, Scale Fist had joined the other two in adding black and green to his costume.

He might need to clamp down on that later, but more important matters to attend to, as he shone a dim light from his phone on the grave before them.

'Tsuyu Asui' was the name carved there, the funeral had been last week, but Izuku had been too out of it to come sooner.

Pulling out his phone, he dialed a number, waiting for it to pick up before starting.

"I saw her die, not from anything she did, but from the pettiness of a spoilt man child. Asui looked after her younger siblings while her parents worked, she wanted to be a rescue hero and didn't care about the fame. She had a strong personality and quirk, she didn't want to do anything more than help to the best of her ability…" He trailed off, the group stood for a few minutes in silence, before the phone spoke.

"The League is trying to arrange a meeting with me. If they killed someone who had potential, then there's no point." Stain growled, Izuku was unsure if he was unimpressed at what had happened or just being his usual self.

"Meet with them, we are still in the dark about what their actual plan is. If they're trying to recruit you, they might give you information we need. Besides, I don't want to be telling you what to do, seeing both sides might help you decide. I just request that if you do run into any students, don't kill them. We want to show them that there is a better way, influence the next generation of heroes." Izuku reasons, only getting a grunt in reply, before the call disconnected.

"So we are going after the League now?" Scale Fist asked, not quite as in the loop as the others.

"Not yet, their backer is someone we have no hope in dealing with, so have to play nice for now." Izuku informed him, before gesturing to the grave. "I want a world where everyone is treated fairly, no matter who they are. But I also want one where mindless death like this no longer happens." Turning to face them, and pointing to Scale Fist. "You want to have a world where you're not judged for how you look." Turning to Sky and Battery. "You want worlds where you can use your quirk more freely and don't get judged for how strong it is or isn't."

He paused, thinking if he wanted to mention Stain, but the man had hung up so he just moved on.

"The company is set up, so we have our distraction, now we need to start focusing on the other side of things. We need to grow, to support this, we will need to start taking over territory, seizing assets and taking control of businesses." He paused, gathering himself again. "This time next week, we go to war. The target, villains and heroes alike. The world is out of balance, we are the ones who fell between the cracks of society. Now we will make sure those cracks are filled up tight!"

The air around him seemed to shimmer, his conviction and force of will returning. Things had become confused and off track for a while, but they were back on track and Izuku was determined to keep them there.


	11. Chapter 11

**I don't own My Hero Academia or any of the characters.**

While getting his plan working and making sure The Fallen get some positive public feedback, Izuku has to admit, spending a day at UA and geeking out over student's quirks - while also collecting intel - has been very entertaining for his inner nerd.

**We hope you enjoy what we have been cooking up...**

**Chapter 11**

**Chapter 11**

Izuku woke up the next day feeling better than he had gone to sleep. This was dampened when he realised that not only was Himiko still off on her mission, but he had slept into the afternoon.

If she could pull it off, then it would be a massive coup, but having become so used to her presence, the absence was beginning to bother him.

'_Things to do.._' he grumbled to himself as he forced himself to get up, '_got a meeting to attend later and plenty to sort out…_'

"That video of you beating Battery into the ground has circulated around our little community you know." The Broker was grinning when he turned up, the screen on the wall displaying yesterday's fight and he would bet money it was only there because he was.

"I had a point to prove," he replied, groaning, "I said I would deal with it and I have, the gang's all back together for the most part."

"Battery has the target list, he's getting everyone ready, though I wasn't expecting you to start taking over parts of the city like this?"  
"The problem comes from both sides, unless we start taking control of problem areas, we are never going to more than push back the tide. If we can even manage that. AFO and his manipulations have shown me how little control we actually have, which needs to change. Besides, we need to expand our funding, going larger scale means we need more resources."

"I hope you know what you're doing Izuku…" The Broker paused when the boy burst out laughing.

"I've not known what I have been doing from the start, if I did we would probably be at this point weeks or months ago. We have just reached the point where we can't do anymore without expanding our presence. A natural point of expansion."

"Are you sure you're not rushing things?" The Broker put it to him. "In the space of a day or two you're going from showing up the heroes, stealing from them, dealing in information and training, to a war footing with both sides."

"No, the rough plan has been in place for sometime, if anything we are simply doing what we should have started sooner. The longer we wait, the more things that could go wrong for us." Izuku returned, meeting and holding her gaze. He didn't try a staring contest, he wasn't sure the Broker even still had eyelids, but she was the first one to look away.

"Very well, I will do what I can to support you in this, for our usual arrangement." She eventually relied, Izuku nodding in understanding before turning to leave. She made a note to get the dents in the table hammered out, from where he had gripped it. The boy was beginning to get a little too intense.

Maybe she should be worried about Toga's influence on him after all.

Now that things were underway again, Izuku had to admit he was getting a little impatient. Assuming they were successful seizing control of the district he had chosen, that would be the rallying call as well as the launch point.

Failure to do so would mean the end of all his plans. Worries about the Broker being right, about him rushing things before they were close to ready, echoed in his mind. He pushed them down, if he waited until he was one hundred percent sure they were ready, things would never happen.

He was a known worrier, if left to his own thoughts.

He had arrived early to the base they had selected for the meeting and sat on a fallen pillar meditating. He couldn't have any screw ups, he was still feeling a touch out of it from his quirk exhaustion, but he had the weekend to rest. He just hoped it was enough.

'_Just need to not drop dead for one more night, come too far for that…'_

The six made their way in, all arriving early, possibly why the air felt so charged with excitement. The newcomers had seen Quirk Coach in passing at best, the video of him taking down Battery with his own power was the most they had to go off what he was like, apart from whispered stories.

Rumours of massive plots, the power of someone quirkless yet still able to rule with an iron fist, stories born of half truths and misunderstandings. Especially when it came to his 'bodyguard'.

Whatever they might have been expecting, it was not what came next. As they entered the hideout, following the older members towards the green and black figure sitting by himself, they paused when he stood, stretched and made a declaration.

"Let's go hunting." Izuku grinned, a plan to test the newcomers had taken a little work, but he had everything he needed. Calling it a test wouldn't quite cover it, it was also to make a point to everyone involved.

Assuming everything didn't go horribly wrong.

Three targets had been selected, based on the three quirks of the trio being put forwards. As well as to make a statement. The group headed out, using the tunnels to get to the rundown outskirts of the city, where their first target roamed. Izuku had told them all the plan beforehand, as well as making clear that only one was set to engage, to start with at least. Izuku wanted to see what they could do, but he made it very clear he expected them to ask for help if they felt it necessary.

Sky and her replacement, Shriek, took to the air, circling overhead while the others searched on the ground. It only took an hour or so to find someone suspicious, briefly losing them in the ruins of abandoned warehouses.

"Far from the shiny centre they like to show." Izuku muttered to himself, as they fanned out through buildings beginning to show their age and neglect, trying to drive their quarry out into the open.

"Son of a bitch!" Battery shouted suddenly, a crackle and blast of electricity sent a figure slamming into a wall. Battery himself falling to the ground clutching his side

"Smog, you're up!" Izuku shouted, radioing for their air cover to keep an eye on things, while he ran to his downed comrade.

Smog, so called because of his quirk, could turn into a semi solid gaseous form that mimicked the thick smoke he was named after. Their target, who had already attempted to stab Battery, was a serial killer who's quirk could turn her hands into knives. The only reason she had been left free for so long was that she exclusively targeted the quirkless.

Part of one of the purity cults, or just crazy, Izuku didn't care, he just wanted her off the streets and Smog was a good match up. The heroes apparently had better things to do.

Or he would have been, his nerves showed and the killer's aggression threw him off, but with his quirk active she was limited in the damage she could do. It took longer than Izuku would have liked, training someone to fight as a heavy cloud was something he would have to think on, but eventually he won his fight and they had their first captive of the night.

Making sure Battery was alright, in the end the insulation of his costume had deflected the worst of the blow and only left him with a shallow cut across his ribs, he grumbled to himself as they moved out, his pride hurt more than anything serious.

Moving on to their second target of the night, leaving the serial killer tied up in front of a police station, with the evidence they had gathered of her activities in a box next to her, they headed underground this time. To make sure something was done about their first takedown, the evidence would also be released online and sent to all the media publications in the city in the morning.

Izuku might admit that one was a little personal, but he sure as hell was going to make sure that their efforts weren't for nothing.

The next person they sought was to test Wendigo, whom Scale Fist was putting forward. His quirk was an unusual mutation of his parents, both having animal characteristics, which allowed him to transform from gaunt, human form to a larger, bulkier horned animal form that stood on two legs.

The problem they had run into was that if he unleashed his full power, he turned into a raging monster, the size and toughness of a tank, but with little human control left until he was forced to change back; usually from being knocked out.

The creature they hunted through the sewers took them even longer than the first, clashing in a man made cavern deep beneath the city. It had fled down here after it's quirk had mutated to the point of losing rational thinking, living off a diet of whatever it could hunt in the depths. It had been moving closer to the surface, as well as the tunnels the group used, so it was time to get rid of the problem.

Wendigo took on a controlled form, standing tall and engaging with a crazed repilitan, who's quirk made him faster and stronger than normal, as well as increasing his toughness.

Watching the two clash was a bit like watching two mythical monsters clash, Wendigo faring the worst, taking numerous slashes from his opponents claws before requesting assistance. He was able to pin the creature down, but couldn't land the knockout blow before it either wriggled free, or cut him hard enough to break free.

Scale Fist leapt forwards, using his own scales to deflect the claws, giving wendigo the time to line up a proper shot. Ending it by slamming his fist into the skull of his opponent and then into the ground, he stood back, panting and getting himself back under control while the other secured their second captive of the night and made sure their teammates' wounds were bandaged.

Dropping their bound and subdued captive, along with another folder of evidence that he needed help more than anything, they moved on to their final stop of the night.

Their third and final target was the pro hero Glider. His quirk was Glide, which allowed him to maintain his momentum for several minutes at a time, either gliding short distances or to tackle villains.

It had been found, after some investigation into questionable heroes, that while he wasn't targeting innocents, he was stealing from villains, not always turning over everything he seized from them and using it to fund a more luxurious lifestyle than a low level hero should have been able to afford.

At least he would be easier to find, heroes living a more visible life made them an easier target.

Shriek's quirk was also transformation based, she had some bat-like features to start with, mainly facial features and a very thin layer of fur covering her body, but when activating her quirk her arms grew into wings, the facial features became more bat-like and her feet turned into claws. She could also let loose a super sonic screech to both deafen and send her opponents staggering.

Which is exactly how she ambushed him. Waiting for him to finish with a group of common thugs, relieving them of their valuables and calling it in, he was getting pretty careless.

He didn't expect a giant bat-like creature to come swooping down as he launched himself towards the rooftops, hammering him with a scream so powerful he crashed into the wall as it disorientated him.

Trying to get his bearing again, fighting the pain in his head from the noise, he was slammed back into the wall by a large wing, before being sent tumbling back to the ground.

"Get him!" Shriek shouted, Wendigo and Smog leaping forwards to subdue the hero before he could recover, leaving him bloody, battered and bound within minutes.

"Good work everyone!" Izuku congratulated them, pleased at how well the last target had gone at least. "Now just to drop him and the evidence of his failings off…"

Returning to one of their hideouts, the three new recruits were confused when it took on an almost classroom like atmosphere.

"So, Smog, what do you think went wrong with your target?" Izuku asked, turning to face him.

"Erm, well I can't quite control my quirk as well, so I guess I got lucky?" He replied cautiously.

"Well, maybe a little, but partly my fault for not getting a firmer grip on how much control you actually have." Izuku admitted, hiding a smirk as three jaws almost hit the floor. Going against the usual grain of those operating in the shadows never got old. "Knowing this, you could have asked for help, did that occur to you?"

"Not really… you said there were three tests, three of us, so assumed we had to go it alone until you mentioned otherwise. I thought that was part of the test…"

"Fair, but yes, I would encourage you to learn one thing from tonight, never be afraid to ask for help! The heroes have whole systems designed to support their lesser numbers, villains are either going to be in larger numbers or incredibly strong, so there is no harm in making sure you have more backup than you need. Or running away, I don't want anyone needlessly dying on me; especially because of their pride." Smog looked to be thinking this over, so he turned to the next one.

"Wendigo, similar problem, though we might have to come up with some form of expanding armour to make sure you don't get as badly injured next time."

"I heal fast, but it is appreciated," rumbled the large man, "if I had full control I would have had less issue…"

"Then we will need to work on your baseline level of control, keep hitting it until we can push you to new levels." Izuku agreed, for how big and quiet he was, Wendigo seemed to have some understanding of his limitations, Izuku making sure he praised his willingness to ask for help, though maybe do so sooner next time.

"As for you," he said, turning to Shriek, "why did you leave the fight to the others once you had knocked Glider out of the air?"

"I'm better in the air, hard to maneuver on the ground with my wings, experienced that the hard way…" She trailed off for a few seconds. "So I left it to the ones on the ground, while staying above in case he managed to make a break for it."

"Just what I was hoping for." Izuku replied, satisfied at the night's events for the most part. "While we managed to get all three targets, I still have much to learn as well. Turning and bowing to Battery, "It is my fault you got injured, I need to come up with a better way to track down future targets to avoid mistakes like that." Battery waved it off, coughing in embarrassment. While he appreciated the gesture, it wasn't the worst thing that had happened to him with this group.

"So, all that aside, did anyone tell you what the point of tonight was?" Izuku turned back to address the three newcomers again.

"Beyond a test for a promotion, not really." Smog admitted and the other two confirmed.

"Well the three that took an interest in you and put you forwards, not just for a promotion, but because I'm creating a combat squad. As you should have heard, in under a week we will be seizing territory to fund further expansion." He waited until they nodded before continuing. "They selected you three as the most promising candidates, after tonight, I have to agree! If you want to accept, you will be working under Battery and Scale Fist to hit the locations that will put up the most fight."  
The three of them glanced at each other, Shriek agreeing first. Sky had told Izuku that she was also looking for a world where you weren't judged on your quirk, so it made sense she was the most willing. Wendigo was next, again making sense as he wanted the same as Shriek, but also more control. Smog eventually agreed as well, on the condition that he got more training with his quirk; which Izuku readily agreed to.

With that, there was one last order of business to take care of before they went their separate ways. Izuku paid each of the three two hundred thousand Yen, as a bounty of sorts, but also a welcome package.

They didn't understand why he was so generous now, but like the others before them, they would come to understand that Izuku had more money than needed and was more than happy to distribute it when he saw fit.

He made a brief stop by the Broker's lair on his way home, before changing into his civilian clothes for the last part of the trip. Collapsing into bed, he was so very glad it was the weekend.

Hunting people down was more exhausting than he realised.

The next morning, or rather afternoon by the time he dragged himself out of bed, he was pleased and amused to have received a text from Toga, which reminded him to arrange a meetup.

She might be under cover, but he needed a few answers, so pinged a reply asking to meet next weekend. Get the attack finished, then deal with any problems from her.

Moving to his computer, he booted it up to see if things had gone to plan. Thankfully, they had gone better than he hoped, the headlines dominated about how the Fallen had captured three different targets, provided evidence of the crimes of two, but for the one living in the sewers who's quirk had mutated out of control, their plea had been to help the man.

The evidence had been distributed too wide for the heroes or police to crack down on it, along with a video from Quirk Coach in his new costume claiming credit and explaining why these three were targeted and how it fitted in with their goals.

The serial killer who hadn't been seen as important, as she killed a handful of quirkless people. The one abandoned into the sewers and denied help. The hero who used his station as a cover to commit crimes of his own.

The authorities had been forced to deal with all three quickly, the hero losing his licence and being arrested, along with the killer. The lizard man had been sent to be looked over by experts, after some consideration, when faced with pressure to do so.

All in all, a more successful attempt than the debut video, this was generating a lot of interest from various parties. As well as more positive comments, while there were ones as always making fun of the video, there were a lot more responding more positively to the message.

Including a number who were discussing both the Fallen and Stain. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.

In lue of Toga's usual hard training, when he went to one of their hidden training areas to engage with the other members there, he felt a bit disappointed when he was easily able to engage and run rings around them. Toga was almost supernaturally fast, so it made sense, but also boosted his confidence in what skills he had.

Fighting a group was good practice he needed, making a note to do it more often. There would probably be videos of that circulating by the end of the day, the mysterious boss who was not only a master planner, but an amazing fighter.

Or at least that's how he hoped they saw him, couldn't hurt for morale.

It was Sunday evening before the adrenaline high he had been riding slowed down and he remembered that he had to go to U.A on Tuesday and he still hadn't prepared anything. He was seriously considering getting a personal assistant, just to help him keep track of everything, but that carried a whole new set of risks.

He had been in the school before, for the sports festival, but knowledge of his weekend actions had left him a little on edge. They couldn't possibly have identified him, despite all the chatter online about people discussing who the mysterious Quirk Coach was, he hadn't seen anyone come close.

The other thing was the prospect of seeing Kacchan again. Though he wasn't on the list of students Izuku was due to work with, the possibility of encountering his former childhood tormenter remained. He only looked to be angrier these days, Izuku wasn't ready for that confrontation yet.

Security wasn't an issue, his nerves explained away by being on what he considered hallowed grounds. Seems his geek out over the teachers after the festival had become common knowledge. Embarrassing, but it helped his cover, resorting to shily scratching the back of his head and blushing when one of the guards teased him about it.

He was provided with lunch in a private room, before being escorted to one of the training grounds. Izuku really had to work hard on containing himself when he realised who he had been left with.

"HELLO LITTLE LISTENER!" Present Mic greeted him, laughing when Izuku broke down, had a little fanboy moment before asking for his autograph. "I'M JUST HERE TO KEEP AN EYE ON THINGS WHILE THE CLASS IS SPLIT." He assured the boy, before leading him to an area off to one side of the main training area and going to grab the first student.

Yuga Aoyama, who's quirk allowed him to fire lasers from his stomach, but left him with intense tummy aches if overusing his quirk. Inquiring how much he exercised his muscles there, he admitted not a lot, relying more on his support gear to help focus and dampen the side effects. They finished up with Izuku recommending working on building up his core muscles and seeing if that reduced the strain; as well as working on altering the power unleashed.

He was a hard one for Izuku to read, seemingly more interested in posing and being seen, than actual hero work itself. He just hoped it was a good mask, the sparkly teen was probably going to get himself killed with his showboating.

Next was Mina Ashido, her quirk allowed her to produce acid from anywhere on her body. Remembering her from the sports festival, it was hard to miss someone that pink and energetic, Izuku asked if she had tested how stable her acid was long term. When she blanked, having never thought of trying, he suggested seeing how long it lasted for it and if she could store different strengths in containers to throw at range in a pinch. She was ecstatic when she bounced away, with all sorts of new ideas and possibilities to try. It had helped her confidence when this quirk advisor had geeked out about how awesome her quirk was.

Izuku had high hopes for her, while she did seem easily distracted, she was focused on improving herself at least. That and their brief chat touched on her dislike of bullying, which he would admit made him a little biased.

His next student was Eijiro Kirishima, with a hardening quirk. He admitted right from the get go that he didn't consider his quirk flashy, until he was forced to sit in awe while Izuku went off on a several minute ramble about just how useful a hardening quirk could be. Finishing up by actually doing his job and advising Kirishima to ask for permission to maintain as low a form of hardening as possible, while going about his day as normal, to try and raise his base level. They finished up having a chat about the hero in training's inspiration, Red Riot, amazed to find that not only did Izuku know who the hero was, but thought highly of him as well.

Izuku had to admit, he enjoyed the chat with the red head, he was a promising future hero. Just a shame he was friends with Kacchan.

Fumikage Tokoyami had been an interesting one to meet. The student had been nervous about getting Dark Shadow out around a stranger, but both him and Present Mic were left gaping when Izuku started getting excited about the possibilities. He suggested that maybe they should work together, as a linked pair, rather than trying to fight for control. It might not be the best advice, but Dark Shadow was preening and a lot friendlier after having so much positive attention lavished on him, so his master conceded it might well be a new way forwards for them.

Izuku had a soft spot for heroes who wanted to be heroes to prove their quirks could be used for good, plus a flustered Dark Shadow was adorable in it's own way.

Ochaco Uraraka, was an interesting one, he had to get Mic to smash some rocks for him, as he wanted to try a theory. As it turned out, she had an easier time lifting multiple objects, as opposed to a single object of the same weight, which explained why her tactic in the sport festival had been so effective. His advice mainly revolved about practicing with numbers to build up her quirk strength and flexibility, but also maybe a jetpack for when she was floating. Some hand to hand wouldn't hurt, but she already had that in mind, telling him about how she intended to intern with a martial arts hero next week to work on that.

The conversation turned depressing when her motivation came up, she had wanted to become a hero originally to provide her parents with a comfortable retirement, as they weren't well off. Since the USJ incident and the death of her best friend, Uraraka was determined to become the best hero to prevent anything like that happening again.

Izuku liked her drive, both sharing their mutual dislike of the League of Villains leader and his despicable acts. She seemed lighter when she left, a new spring in her step.

The last student he was to see, before the special case he had been brought in to see, was Kyoka Jiro. She was known for her unflappable nature by the rest of the class, but having this guy get this excited about her quirk was new for her. When she explained about the limits of her quirk, needing support gear to extend her range, he asked why she didn't have the ports for her jacks to plug into on her shoulders, the wires connecting to the support items on her wrists; as well as maybe more on her feet. It was useful having Mic there, as he was a great example of having a support item with easy access for his quirk, which sent the trio off brainstorming until they ran out of time.

She had abandoned what could be a guaranteed music career to pursue heroics, he would be interested to see what became of her, as her quirk would be great for rescues.

Finally, it came to the one he had been looking forward to most of all today.

"I'm not sure what benefit there is to meet with someone quirkless, regarding my quirk." Shoto Todoroki stated.

"I'm very good at thinking outside the box, as I can see things from an outside perspective," Izuku countered. "Your other classmates I've seen thought I helped."

"Bakugo would not stop talking about how useless you are, why is that?" Todoroki asked.

"If I answer that, will you answer one for me?" Getting a nod from the student, Izuku replied. "I'm quirkless, Kac- I mean Bakugo, as you probably know by now, looks down on anyone he considers weaker. For someone who bases their entire self worth around how strong their quirk is, being quirkless is as low as you can be to him; which he never hesitated to make clear by using his quirk…" Izuku trailed off, bitterness in his voice and very glad Mic had given them some more privacy for this. Not quite stopping himself from rubbing his scars.

"I see. What is your question then?" Came the reply, Todoroki was looking at him differently now. Izuku didn't know, but Todoroki had spotted the signs of abuse so similar to what his family had shown over the years.

"Are you the result of a quirk marriage?" The question was so unexpected, that Todoroki was left floored, before composing himself, thinking about how to answer. '_This quirk coach guy has been abused too, maybe…'_

"What drew you to that conclusion?"

"One dead sibling, two with ice powers who never even took public steps to becoming heroes, mother who is currently committed and denied public access, while the one son who lacks his father's weakness is pushed to the forefront." Izuku laid out the evidence, he had found out about the marriage in a way he didn't want to admit, so made it look like he had found it from researching the family. "While nothing public has ever come out, Endeavour's less than gentle behavior is well known. I might just be jumping to conclusions, but for a man who once declared he would beat All Might, who gave up and instead looks to have tried breeding someone stronger, if he was only interested in creating more heroes then you would all be trained."

Todoroki nodded, it had long been something of an overlooked rumour about Endeavour and his family life, but as no one ever came forward, nothing was ever done about it. "You are guessing, but you lack evidence?"

"Yeah…" Izuku admitted, "Any case against the number two hero would have to be airtight and I don't have the resources to bring that forwards right now."

"It sounds like you plan to bring him down?"  
"No! I wouldn't go that far… It just bothers me that the number two is a man known for being a bit liberal with his use of power and the damage caused. That and potential child abuse and more. Besides, we are here to talk about your quirk and-"

"I've already told the teachers, I won't use my fire half, I won't use anything from him, especially not his quirk."

"Why? It's not his quirk, he can't use ice. Based on your sports festival fights, you need both sides, otherwise you're not even half assing things."

"What do you mean?" Torodoki growled, narrowing his eyes in anger.

"Endeavour's weakness is he overheats too easily when using his ultimate attacks. Your weakness right now is the opposite, you freeze yourself solid, but by using both at once you can negate both problems and create something unique to you."

"That would just be giving in to him…"

"Who cares? He made you to surpass All Might right? That means he already knows you will be stronger than him. I'm not saying use your flames like he does, but handicapping yourself is only going to get yourself, or others, hurt or killed."

"What do you suggest then?" Izuku thought for a moment, before replying.

"Try using your flames to balance out your ice, to start with. Defrosting yourself means you can keep fighting longer and harder, without resorting to your flames in a way he would approve of."

"You are an interesting one…" Todoroki admitted, staring at him for several seconds, before smiling softly. "Never had someone who told me to use my fire side specifically to piss off my father."

"I'm working to try and bring more quirk equality to people, pissing off a quirk supremacist is often a nice bonus." Izuku told him, grinning widely when the student chuckled.

"I will give your words some thought…"

"Well my students certainly seem to have benefited from you." Aizawa admitted as he escorted Izuku to the gates after classes had ended. "Perhaps All Might isn't as irrational as i thought."

"He is the number one hero for a reason!" Izuku replied, still riding the high of such a successful day. Otherwise he might have caught the eye roll from the teacher.

"We might be calling on your company again sometime." Aizawa told him, shaking his hand in farewell before departing.

"We look forward to working with you again!" Izuku promised, trying to keep his reaction to giddy fanboy and not into full blown laughter. Having a foot in the door at the biggest hero school in the country was certainly going to be useful down the road.

With the training company established, his last job with them done, it was time to move on. He was 'ordered' by the Face to research new sites in other cities, which he had done months ago, but gave him a reason to vanish from the office and travel as needed.  
Izuku had to admit, helping both the Fallen and the heroes with their quirks had been the most fun he'd had in ages. Really needed to make more time for his hobbies.

The next couple of days were spent training, both himself fighting against small groups, but also helping Smog and Wendigo get better control of their quirks as well as Izuku's own quirk. He didn't want to risk passing out or collapsing during the fight.

Shriek at least seemed to have a good grasp, but needed practice and to get stronger. He left her with Sky for speed training, who was ready to meet with the smugglers next week and already had two targets for them to steal from.

After all that, they were finally ready, maybe not quite as dramatic as going to war, but it would be the first real fight they had engaged in. Their first real test.


	12. Chapter 12

**I don't own My Hero Academia or any of the characters.**

There's a lot Izuku has yet to do, but the most important thing is getting Toga back. Which may not be as easy as it would seem...

**We hope you enjoy what we have been cooking up...**

**Chapter 12**

The big day finally arrived! Again. He should probably stop referring to any big step as the big day, before it lost all meaning. It was still good to be more on track though.

The plan was in place, they had dozens of people armed and ready to move and they all had their targets. The advantage was with the Fallen, thanks to various sources they knew roughly who they had to deal with.

The upside of heroes being so common was that gangs tended to be small to stay under the radar. Their group had only stayed hidden for so long because they were spread out over the city; this would be the first time a lot of them would meet each other.

This left them with five primary targets. There were other smaller criminal groups operating in the area, at most operating as a trio but with a lot acting as pairs or on their own. They could be mopped up, or recruited, later on.

One thing that Izuku had insisted on, despite the opposition from his newly expanded inner circle, was taking part himself. He argued it showed that he was willing to do what he asked of the other Fallen, but also to show he was willing to lead from the front.

He wouldn't admit this was in a small way based on Shigaraki, but he didn't want to be seen as someone to abandon his followers like the League's leader. He knew they would likely take casualties sooner or later, but he refused to discard them like the ones at the USJ incident had been by the League.

The attack groups assembled at the chosen training grounds that evening, before using the network of tunnels to cross under the city to hit their targets. The side project to dominate, repair and expand the largely forgotten and chaotic system was proving useful to move both people and resources around the city.

The plan was to strike as close as possible together, to try and avoid any warning getting out about what was going on. Really it didn't matter, the gangs had no real link to each other, Izuku just wanted to show off.

The first target was a gang of nine, operating from underneath a pawn shop that functioned both to hide their base of operations, but also to launder the money they made from protection rackets and drugs.

As their base was underground as well, they were surprised when a dozen assailants burst through the walls of their base, using quirks, numbers and capture gear to quickly subdue six gang members.

Two attempted to flee upstairs and make their escape, only to be met by five more attackers coming down from the shop; who quickly captured them as well. The last member would be unaccounted for another hour, before he returned to the hideout from a food run, only to walk straight into the Fallen's arms and surrender without a fight.

The second target was technically the trickiest, while not the largest gang, it was the only one with multiple hideouts. With fourteen members, ten based out of a warehouse tucked under an overpass, with four more working out of a shop front. They were primarily involved in smuggling and distribution, Izuku hoping to use that when negotiating with the smugglers later.

The warehouse started out well, sixteen members of the fallen, all armed with small handheld flare launchers that had been converted to fire the special grenades they had been manufacturing for months, surrounded the building.

On a signal, they fired two grenades each through the windows. Shouts of surprise and confusion quickie sounded out, before falling silent as the knockout gas from the grenades flooded the building.

Unfortunately, when they moved to storm the front entrance, the gang leader, who had a strength enhancement quirk, burst out. Despite being disoriented from the gas, he still broke one man's arm and anothers ribs, before they swarmed him and knocked him out.

The safe house proved more bothersome, managing to capture two then they stormed it, but had to play cat and mouse with the last two. Thanks to the Broker running electronic interference, they were able to avoid anyone alerting either the police or heroes, before capturing them as well.

The third and fourth targets thankfully went a lot smoother. Both were gangs of five, working out of two story houses and the gas grenade through the windows tactic knocked them out quickly.

The fifth and final target, the closest to a proper organisation, had around twenty five members. They would be facing not only a force of thirty one Fallen members, but all five members of Izuku's attack squad. As well as Izuku himself.

The final gang was led by a man who had come to be known as Tinpot, with a quirk that hardened his skin and boosted his strength. He operated out of a compound made up of warehouses and offices, but his real office was in an underground part of the complex.

While normally secure, as the day would later prove, Izuku was very keen on subterranean assaults. Tinpot's hideout was further from any underground tunnels than their other targets, but all that work maintaining and expanding their underground network had allowed them to gather a reliable crew who had been able to get the entry point ready with the weeks notice they were given.

Barely able to that is, as they also had to be careful not to alert anyone.

When the time came, Izuku stood with the other five, waiting for the signal. When their men launched the attack topside, they were all set to storm the hidden lair; hopefully catching Tinpot and his big hitters down here. It would not only limit casualties, but leave the fight top side almost two to one in the Fallen's favour.

When they got word from the other force that they were beginning their assault, they waited a couple minutes before triggering the breaching charges they had already set up on the wall. Emerging into a room full of smoke, dust and chaos, gas masks on to allow them to breathe unlike their opponents, the assault squad strike hard and fast.

The one advantage they had, beyond surprise, was Izuku and his ability to analyze quirks. It hadn't taken much to find out who Tinpot's best were and to develop plans to take them down.

The surprise, combined with his combat tactics and a handful of assorted grenades, left Tinpot standing behind his desk, a look of surprise and fear covering his face as he viewed the wreckage of the large room. His eight best men littered the ground, or wall in one case, when a glue grenade incapacitated him.

While his attackers had taken some damage, they were all still standing. Tinpot was known for his hard headedness, but even he knew when he was outclassed, collapsing back in his seat.

Izuku sent Smog, Shriek and Scale fist upstairs to help stamp out any remaining resistance, once they had bound their fallen opponents. He then sat in the chair opposite Tinpot, flanked by Battery and Wendigo.

"Now Tinpot, I have something of a proposition for you. You sign over all the property deeds you have managed to acquire, as well as your operation here, to me. Then I allow you to retire with your personal fortune intact, as long as you never return to this city." Izuku stated, producing a folder full of papers from a bag on his back.

"And if I refuse?" The man tried to bluff, looking more and more nervous as Wendigo in particular loomed over him. Tinpot was not a tall man by any means, being short but broad, but he had witnessed the strength of the beast before him and did not wish to test it for himself.

"Then a long list of your criminal activities will be leaked to the police, along with all the evidence to convict you, we will take not only your properties and operations, but your personal wealth as well, before leaving you in front of a police station in another city to be dealt with." All of this was stated with absolute certainty, making it clear that this was not a threat, but a statement of exactly what would happen to the man if he refused.

Izuku was in his full costume, his age hidden, so all that Tinpot knew was that the leader of the Fallen, as far as anyone knew at least, was seated before him. He was being offered a way out that left him at least comfortable. Or the alternative was what this Quirk Coach guy had already done to both a hero and a villain before, so he knew this was no idle threat.

"What do you need me to do." Tinpot sighed, the fight going out of him.

"I am glad you took the easy way, now we will need to go through your holdings and make sure everything is signed over…"

With the targets taken out successfully, the teams assigned to them set about securing their prisoners and stripping the bases of anything of value. Most had large quantities of cash, drugs, weapons, property deeds and notes about their operations. These were shipped back to their HQ for processing.

By the end of the day, the captured gang members would either be absorbed into the fallen or removed from the city. The worst offenders would wind up in the arms of police forces from neighbouring cities, but the ones considered a non issue were warned never to cross the path of the Fallen.

Many of them had joined out of desperation, for the money to survive, so were largely happy to join up. It helped taking over the various operations easier, as they had the people who knew how to run it on their side.

The end result was the group owning a considerable part of the district, rent and protection money massively boosting their earnings, as well as a recruiting ground for both fighters and support staff.

They had raised their flag, to the criminal and underground elements at least, with a display of force that made others sit up and pay attention. In one day they had gone from an info broker with a sideline in supporting Stain, to one of the largest groups in the city.

It was a fairly quiet area, so they managed to stay under the radar of the authorities, for however long that might last. While they had an increase in funds and manpower, they also now had bases more open to attack with known locations. They set to work installing security measures to be overseen by the Broker, as well as expanding the underground bases in this part of the city.

New recruits meant more work and training. This was only the beginning, they would be slowly expanding over time, but it was as good a starting point as Izuku could hope for.

"Think you will be able to coordinate the takeover without me?" Izuku grinned as he prepared to head back for their home base to process the loot they had acquired the previous day. Having spent the night hunkered down in Tinpot's old base, now their headquarters for the area, with everything signed over to them he needed to make sure it was all processed legally and start the flow of new funds.

He also had plans to help regenerate the area, giving its residents a reason to be proud of their homes and if not support the Fallen, at least not interfere. On top of that, as part of the company's expanding charitable portfolio, they would be opening a recycling centre in one of the warehouses Izuku now owned. This would not only bring jobs to an area with relatively high unemployment, but the rent/protection payments would be funds syphoned off into their underground activities.

Also allow them to acquire raw materials easier, as well as covering for why there would be an increase in residents spending. Stimulating the local economy would only mean more money for them down the road, so Izuku considered it a worthwhile investment.

"We will be fine, we have your plan and know where to find you." Battery grinned, waving him off as they prepared to head out. News had got out fast, several of the smaller groups in the area had already heard about the takeovers, seeing the way the wind was going they had been in touch and were in the process of being recruited.

The enthusiasm among the Fallen was infectious, there had been some injuries, but by all accounts it had been an effective and successful operation and had done wonders for their confidence and morale. He wasn't going to mention that it had all been based on theory and research, it seemed to have founded confidence in his leadership across the organisation.

Leaving half their forces in the three larger bases, abandoning the houses to be used later, the assault squad and the other half were going to sweep the rest of the district. They were hoping to have mopped up and taken control of the entire underground element within a week, before moving onto the next step.

They both also knew that Izuku had the much more boring, but necessary task of making sure their new holding and operations were integrated and get the money flowing asap.

"If you hear from me, just make something up so I can come running," He groaned, before making his way through the tunnels. The Broker would speed things up, being networkd into everything, but it was still going to take some time to make sure everything was up and working.

They had almost doubled their organisation in a couple of days, while Izuku had enjoyed the planning and implementation, he was not looking forward to the paperwork.

Maybe he could afford to pay someone to do this for him now.

Come the weekend, he was glad to be done with his part for now. He just had to see how things stood with Toga. She hadn't done much when he was under AFO's control and her absence was beginning to worry him.

At least the Fallen were gaining ground finally, once they had established their hold on the territory they had seized, they could begin expanding. Just needed to stay under the radar, with the League and Stain making headlines and keeping the focus on the big names, the small time stuff was getting less attention.

But if they grew too big too fast, they might be considered a threat, which was why Izuku was choosing his targets carefully and avoiding any that might escalate into full on battles.

Even he had to admit, if Tinpot had been prepared, then it might have gone badly enough to draw attention. The element of surprise in that part of the city was lost. The groups surrounding them, or at least the ones who weren't looking to sign up, would be watching out for the slightest hint of an attack now.

There were other options going forward, but right now, he had a bigger problem to take care of.

He had acquired some older, baggier clothes from second hand shops on the advice of others. It made hiding some of his tricks of the trade easier in public, as well as allowing him to go more unnoticed when in public. He had also made some modifications to them, you would have to pull the outfit apart to find most of them, but added weights, hidden compartments and more were tucked away in the folds.

What was another hunched, hoodie wearing figure making his way through the rougher parts of the city. Hardly an uncommon sight. Even with his disguise, he was grateful he made it to the meeting location without anything more than curious or calculating glares.

While he had had a growth spurt lately, along with bulking up with all the training, he was still a relatively small figure. Probably why he had taken to Toga's style so easily, it relied on speed more than brute force.

Arriving at the agreed location, he groaned when he realised why Toga was holed up here. It was an abandoned three storey block of flats, made of concrete and suffering from wear. Someone had also smashed the ground floor stairs, meaning that you would need a ladder or the like to get up.

There were a number of people squatting in the building, giving Izuku funny looks as he glared at the demolished stairway and uttered to himself. He waited until he was confident no one was watching, before launching himself at the wall. Activating his quirk a little, he bounced off and boosted himself up, managing to grab onto the end of the landing above and scrabble up onto it.

Pausing for a couple of minutes, to make sure he hadn't been spotted, he moved on. Repeating the process at the final stairway as well, he eventually made it to the top floor. He had just made sure there weren't any traps as he went, knowing how much she hated unwelcome guests.

He eventually found the room she had holed up in, not quite the furthest one from the stairs, but far enough it took him a little time to find her.

"Knock knock!" He called out from the doorway, not wanting to expose himself without warning.

"So polite Zuzu, you can come on in…" She purred. Edging into the room, he spied her sat cross legged on an old mattress covered in a pile of blankets. Supplies and gear littered the ground around her, but it was her eyes that caught his full attention. While normally catlike, they seemed to glint in the gloom, her fangs on display as she eyed him.

"Seems like we need to have a talk, Himiko." He stated, standing in the middle of the room. His hands were in the front pocket of the hoodie, weapons ready at hand. Just in case.

"So you said, but you never said what about…" There was almost a singsong tone to her voice. Glancing around, Izuku noted the absence of blood packs.

'_That could complicate things_', he thought to himself, before replying to her. "It would appear that I haven't been in my right mind of late, which you tried to cover up."

"I wasn't sure if you were becoming like me, but tried to keep your plan going. Maybe not the most successfully, but you're the brains here, not me." She rose to her feet, still graceful even in the grip of what madness Izuku suspected had her. A knife appeared in her hand, produced from who knew where. Izuku knew her too well not to assume she had more secreted on her person.

"So you didn't know what was happening?"

"You're the sanest person I'm close to Izuku, how do I know when someone's been controlled and when they're going crazy?" She grinned, almost as a private joke to herself.

"And why have you stopped drinking blood?" He asked, tensing slightly.

"I've been meeting new people and they're so much fun, I haven't had time to pick up new supplies. Besides, I only want blood from the one I love…" She trailed off, her mask finally slipping.

Himiko Toga was a strange creature. Until she pulls out a knife, you'd almost think she was just an overly happy fangirl of some sort. The side she kept buried, the side only her victims and Izuku had seen, was something else.

Years of being forced to suppress her quirk, her bloodlust, has left her with a ferocity in combat that had once scared him, now just made him cautious. One thing that people often overlooked was the power of both willpower and madness.

Heroes could push themselves beyond their physical limitations and obtain a whole new level of power with training and the willpower to force themselves to that state. Eraserhead at the USJ was the perfect example, his quirk offered no physical enhancements, yet he had been able to fight off a whole mob of villains.

Villains could use willpower, but also madness, to reach new levels of power. The downside of madness was that it could lead to sacrificing sanity and stability. Toga was fast, her madness gave her a whole new level of power, but so did her will to fulfill her desire.

Izuku had his drive, maybe his madness, but he also had a trick up his sleeve. He was fairly confident she hadn't seen the video.

"So what now Zuzu…" She called out, he moved to reply, blinking for a split second and she was gone. Triggering his quirk and burning some of his stored fuel to speed up, he caught sight of Toga, she had leapt in the air and was dropping back down, knife flicking out.

His own knife deflected her attack, surprise flashing across her eyes as he stepped inside her swing, using her momentum to flip her, sending her tumbling past him. She recovered quickly, kicking off the ground and twisting to land on all fours, before changing her knife to a reverse grip and coming at him again. But slower this time, there was a calculating look in her eyes.

He had learnt to fight from her, she had learnt how to read an opponent and fight smarter from him. She produced another knife in her free hand, moving to throw it, but flinging the first one instead. Izuku took a cut to the cheek as he barely dodged, drawing a second knife, while she drew a third.

If the members of the Fallen had been impressed by his match against Battery, they would be amazed to see his fight with Toga. Even with his speed, he was already on the defensive now she wasn't just blindly rushing in. To an outsider it might look more like a dance than a fight, weaving back and forth, blades flicking out and clashing off each other, attempting to get the advantage.

They had been fighting at full strength for a little while now, Izuku had always lost. The numerous cuts and bruises had been motivation to improve, but he was still getting used to his enhanced physical abilities. So he had to make it quick, the longer this fight went on, the more chances her experience would have to give her the edge.

How she was now, he wasn't sure if she would be able to restrain herself. He had long made the argument that keeping him alive allowed her to live her love for longer. If she was too blood starved, then she might not care anymore.

Risk time it was.

It took several minutes of back and forth before he had his chance. He was fending off her attacks, but she was pushing harder and harder, her feral grin growing the longer they fought. He was having to rely on the light glinting off the knives to see them coming at times, the low vision hindering him but seemingly not his opponent.

He slipped, for a split second, inviting her to pounce. In response to her gleeful attack, Izuku dropped to his back, using his feet to send Toga flying over him. Rolling to crouch facing her he slid the hoodie off and flung it at her.

She was turning to lunge again when the weighted mass of cloth wrapped around her arms, pinning them in place just long enough for him to hurl a sleeping gas grenade at her. Diving for the door the second he saw it bounce off her forehead, she blinked in confusion as he eyes focused on it.

He heard it go off, hiding down the corridor, then heard her coughing. He froze in shock, watching her stagger out, looking around and grinning when she spotted him, advancing down the corridor towards him faster than she did.

"That's not nice Zuzu, it's gonna take more…" She stopped, the taser Izuku had concealed behind him catching her the second she got in range and dropping her like a stone. He waited a few seconds, before throwing the spent taser, which bounced off her arm. Her lack of reaction gave him the hope that the gas and taser had finally taken her down.

He padded over to her, winching as his arm ached. He had had to use his quirk more than his body could cope with to catch her off guard, thankfully it just felt like strained muscles more than anything. Flexing and stretching until his arm began to feel better, he then set about binding her.

This was the reason he had bought rope and handcuffs. He wasn't sure he could pull that trick off again if she got free too soon. No matter what people thought of her, Toga had survived years on her own. That was a testament to her skills, even before they had met.

He propped Toga up against the wall, sat on the mattress. Her arms were bound behind her back and handcuffed, the hoodie had been pulled over the top and the arms tied up to form a makeshift straight jacket. Finally his belt, which had also been designed to work as a restraint, was wrapped around her arms over everything.

He hoped it was enough to hold her long enough for his plan, as he settled down to wait for her to wake up again. Then he remembered about her bad habit, checked the area for hidden knives, piling them up in the far corner, before settling down again.

"Good morning Himiko." He smiled, hearing the change in her breathing. One advantage of living with her for several months was that he didn't quite need the enhanced senses for this, but they certainly helped. She had woken up quicker than he expected, it was a good thing he had been keeping a close eye on her.

"That was a dirty trick Zuzu!" She whined, abandoning all pretence of still being unconscious and started testing her bonds. He really shouldn't find her pout so cute, she had just tried to kill him, but he couldn't help it.

"Well you didn't seem very open to talking, so I came prepared, just in case." He acknowledged, moving to crouch in front of her. "Oh Himiko, what am I to do with you?"

"Well you've got me all tied up, Zuzu isn't planning to take advantage of an innocent maiden like me is he?" Her eyes almost looked innocent enough to believe, but they both were aware she was definitely the kinker of the two.

"Not quite…" He whispered, grabbing the back of her head and pulling her into a rough kiss. He moaned as they kissed, feeling her fangs slice his lips, her moan joined his as she tasted his blood. They pulled apart, Himiko watching him with a bloody smile, while he wiped his mouth and forced his body to heal enough to stem the bleeding.

He was going to ache today if he kept this up, a week's worth of training was only going to get him so far. Having a rough estimate of his limits should help him avoid collapsing again, but he was still working off theory more than anything.

"Oh, you're giving me a show?" She teased as he tugged his shirt off, leaving himself bare chested as he picked up one of the discarded knives. She was watching both hungrily, waiting to see what he did.

"I need my second in command back, I'm just showing her how far I'm willing to go." He stated, maintaining eye contact as he sliced across the base of his neck, managing to suppress his reaction to flinch at the pain.

Her pupils widened at the sight and smell, staggering to her knees in her desperation to get to him, nearly falling when she forgot about her bindings. He caught her, lifting her so they were facing each other on their knees and guiding her head to his wound.

"I know how much you need this Himi, just take your fill." He whispered, winching as he felt her fangs sink into his flesh, struggling to keep the upright until she had stilled against him.

He could feel her draining him, hear the sucking noises as she drank, the tearing of skin and muscle as she dug deep and satisfied her hunger. He also found out that healing was easier than fighting, managing to keep his body producing enough blood to avoid passing out, until she detached herself with a satisfied sigh.

Avoiding the sight of his ravaged shoulder, he quickly fished out a couple of tablets. The first one was a painkiller, as he knew the wound would hurt like hell when the adrenaline wore off. The second was one of the new healing drugs they had acquired, which contained energy from a healing quirk. It would only speed things up, but combined with his own quirk, the wound, that would normally take weeks to heal, should take days.

Assuming he didn't exhaust himself, he would have to take it easy for a few days.

Collapsing on the mattress next to Toga, who he would swear was purring contentedly and licking her lips clean of blood, he threw back a few more Omega 3 tablets, giving his quirk more fuel as he found to slowly repair his body to a state fit enough to make the return journey.

They lay there for a while, Izuku had completely lost track of time, just focusing on not bleeding out. When he eventually managed to get that far, he wrapped his shirt around as a makeshift bandage.

"Zuzu…" he heard quietly, crouching down next to her and giving her a quick inspection. Her eyes were clearer, the fever like madness looked to have receded. He stroked her hair as she stirred against, smiling softly as she nuzzled his hands and did an almost purr again.

"Welcome back Himi, let's get you out of all that."

"You're an idiot, you know." She declared, standing up and stretching after being confined for so long.

"So I get told." Izuku chuckled, pulling the hoodie back on. He had been called reckless for most of his life by this point, he was well aware of his habit to throw himself into trouble head first.

"Why go so far Zuzu?" It almost sounded sad, the way she asked it.

"I once found myself on the edge, literally and metaphorically. Then this complete stranger came, who was the first person to believe in me, gave me purpose, support and helped make me the person I am today. I know her original intentions weren't the most selfless, but it turned out to be what I needed, eventually."

"I see you got the note then. She smiled at that, "I was beginning to think you were slipping too far and had run out of ideas. Speaking of, it worked better than I hoped!"

"Actually, turns out AFO used a quirk on me to keep me focused on heroes. When I found out and managed to counter it, it got things back on track, after a little bit of fighting…"

"Oh, sounds like I missed out on some fun…" Himiko groaned.

"Well, I do have a video…" Izuku didn't even get to finish, before the phone was gone from his hand, already playing as she watched closely. She was laughing by the end, looking at him from the corner of her eyes.

"You've picked up all sorts of tricks while I've been gone Zuzu." She grinned, before looking at him in confusion as he gathered his bits up. "Do you have to go? But you only just got here…"

"We are going home, if we learnt anything from this whole mess, we can't be left to our own devices for too long without causing trouble." He groaned, offering a hand and helping her up. "Besides, you look like you could do with a proper meal and nights sleep, plus I need to make sure my blood is as good as I think it is Himi."

"Oh it is delicious," she purred, before noticing something. "Himi ey…" She grinned at him, smugness radiating off her.

"Look, I er, that is…" He paused when she kissed him, smiling fondly.

"Let's go you idiot, don't ruin the moment."

In the end they didn't do much the next couple of days, resting, healing and enjoying each other's company after so long apart. Toga's desire for blood, given so much from her favourite source, was satisfied for now, so she showed him some of his love when he had healed enough to avoid reopening wounds.

He caught her up on what had happened, while she filled him in on what she had been up to, promising that when he was back to full strength again, she had someone he would want to meet. All she would tell him beyond that, was they were a potential new recruit.

Come Wednesday, she had to get back to her work, while he had to follow up on reports from his agents in the field. Things were going well, he just needed to find out how well. Also he needed to get the new quirk reports he had been working on added to the database, it was a backlog he was slowly catching up on.

"So are we making as much progress as we hoped?" Izuku asked, sitting opposite the Broker and going over the various reports.

"Recruitment is up, the income from the territory we seized will start coming in at the end of the month, the support gear and weapon division are going to be kept busy supplying the new guys, but with a bit more time they might be able to produce them for sale." The Broker listed off, one eye glowing from under her hood.

"Speaking of, how did Sky get on with the smuggler groups?" He asked.

"We now have five small groups willing to work with us, the stolen goods, the support gear and your show of strength convinced them to get on board early. It seems they know which way the wind is blowing, for now, what with stealing Tinpot's supply route." He was used to the Brokers amused grin by now, so just ignored it when she moved on to the new topic. "So how is Toga getting on?"

"She's just fine, thank you for asking." He replied, deadpan and glaring.

"Even after so… wait a moment." The pause concerned him, it rarely ended well for him, but what happened next was even worse than he could have ever feared.

"Midoriya, Nomu have been seen attacking the city of Hosu, alongside Stain. The League has finally made a move."


End file.
